Editing Telugu language (section)

== History ==
Telugu, as a Dravidian language, descends from [[Proto-Dravidian]], a [[proto-language]]. [[Linguistic reconstruction]] suggests that Proto-Dravidian was spoken around the fourth millennium BCE.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kolipakam |first1=Vishnupriya |last2=Jordan |first2=Fiona M. |last3=Dunn |first3=Michael |last4=Greenhill |first4=Simon J. |last5=Bouckaert |first5=Remco |last6=Gray |first6=Russell D. |last7=Verkerk |first7=Annemarie |date=21 March 2018 |title=A Bayesian phylogenetic study of the Dravidian language family |journal=Royal Society Open Science |language=en |volume=5 |issue=3 |page=171504 |doi=10.1098/rsos.171504 |issn=2054-5703 |pmc=5882685 |pmid=29657761|bibcode=2018RSOS....571504K}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{cite web |url=https://lists.hcs.harvard.edu/mailman/listinfo/proto-dravidian |title=Proto-Dravidian |work=Harvard |access-date=25 March 2014 |archive-date=1 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101233449/https://lists.hcs.harvard.edu/mailman/listinfo/proto-dravidian |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Comparative linguistics]] confirms that Telugu belongs to the South Dravidian-II (also called South-Central Dravidian) sub-group, which also includes the non-literary languages like [[Gondi language|Gondi]], [[Kuvi language|Kuvi]], [[Koya language|Koya]], [[Pengo language|Pengo]], [[Konda language (Dravidian)|Konda]] and Manda.<ref>{{Cite web |page=19 |title=Dravidian languages by Bhadriraju Krishnamurti |url=https://edisciplinas.usp.br/pluginfile.php/4415432/mod_folder/content/0/Cambridge%20Language%20Surveys/Krishnamurti%202003.%20The%20Dravidian%20Languages.pdf?forcedownload=1}}</ref>

Proto-Telugu is the reconstructed linguistic ancestor of all the dialects and registers of Telugu.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dravidian etymology: Query result |url=https://starlingdb.org/cgi-bin/response.cgi?root=config&morpho=0&basename=%5Cdata%5Cdrav%5Cdravet&first=1 |access-date=2024-08-07 |website=starlingdb.org}}</ref> Russian linguist Mikhail S. Andronov, places the split of Telugu at {{Circa}}1000 BCE.{{Refn|<ref name=":72"/><ref name=":82"/><ref name=":4"/>}}

The linguistic history of Telugu is periodised as follows:<ref name=":72"/><ref>{{Cite book |page=4 |date=18 January 1969 |title=Historical Grammar of Telugu |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.153565}}</ref>
* Pre-historic Telugu ({{Circa}} 600 BCE–200 BCE)
* Old Telugu (200 BCE–1000 CE)
* Middle Telugu (1000 CE–1600 CE)
* Modern Telugu (1600 CE–present)

=== Pre-historic Telugu (c. 600 BCE – 200 BCE) ===
Pre-historic Telugu is identified with the period around 600 BCE or even earlier.<ref name="auto2">{{Cite journal |last=Mari |first=Will |date=3 July 2021 |title=Editor & Publisher, 1901–2015, Internet Archive |journal=American Journalism |volume=38 |issue=3 |pages=381–383 |doi=10.1080/08821127.2021.1949564 |issn=0882-1127 |s2cid=237538061}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |pages=v, 4 |title=Historical Grammar of Telugu |author=Korada Mahadeva Sastri |date=1969 |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.153565/page/n8/mode/1up?view=theater}}</ref> Pre-historic Telugu is considered one of the most conservative languages of the Dravidian family based on its linguistic features.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Sjoberg |first1=Andree F. |last2=Krishnamurti |first2=Bhadriraju |date=December 1966 |title=Telugu Verbal Bases: A Comparative and Descriptive Study |journal=Language |volume=42 |issue=4 |pages=838–846 |doi=10.2307/411840 |jstor=411840 |issn=0097-8507}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |title=Linguistic Survey of India (1906) |date=1906 |page=273 |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.62469/page/n273/mode/1up?view=theater&q=older |quote=Dravidian languages such as Telugu have preserved older forms and represent a more ancient state of development.}}</ref>

* Plural Markers: One notable feature is the presence of contrast in plural markers, such as ''-r'', ''-ḷ'' and ''-nkkVḷ'' (a combination of ''-nkk'' and ''-Vḷ''), which was lost in the earliest forms of many other Dravidian languages.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Andronov |first1=Mikhail Sergeevich |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vhB60gYvnLgC&pg=PA23 |title=Compartive Grammar of Dravidian Languages by Mikhail Andronov |date=18 January 2024 |publisher=Otto Harrassowitz Verlag |isbn=978-3-447-04455-4 |page=112}}</ref> Examples include ''pū-ḷ'' (flowers), ''ā-ḷ'' (cows), distinct from ''kolan-kuḷ'' (tanks), and ''ī-gaḷ'' (houseflies). By the time of early writings, -kVḷ marker underwent back-stem formation with the root words, losing its status as a distinct plural marker, eg. mrā̃-kulu (< *maran-kVḷ), later getting analyzed as mrā̃ku-lu, creating a root mrā̃ku (> Modern māku). Other examples include goḍugu, ciluka, eluka, īga.
* Nominative Markers: The nominative markers were ''-nḏu'' (masc.sg.p1) and ''-aṁbu'' (inanimate.sg), which continued to appear in early inscriptions.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nominative suffixes in Old Telugu, Iravatham Mahadevan |url=https://www.harappa.com/arrow/3.html |quote=The Old Telugu nominatives are the possible retentions of the ancient pictorial values of the symbols on Indus Valley tablets.}}</ref>
* Personal Pronouns: Reconstructed personal pronouns include ''ñān'' (I) with the oblique form ''ñā'', and ''ñām'' or ''ēm'' (we).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Krishnamurti: The Dravidian Languages |url=https://edisciplinas.usp.br/pluginfile.php/4415432/mod_folder/content/0/Cambridge%2520Language%2520Surveys/Krishnamurti%25202003.%2520The%2520Dravidian%2520Languages.pdf?forcedownload=1 |access-date=30 December 2023}}</ref>
* Phonemic Retention: The early language displayed high phonemic retention, with characteristic phonemes like the [[voiced retroflex approximant]] (''ḻ'' or /ɻ/) and the [[Voiced dental and alveolar plosives|voiced alveolar plosive]] (''ḏ'' or /d/), which evolved into the [[Voiced dental, alveolar and postalveolar trills|alveolar trill]] (''ṟ'' or /r/) in different positions. Both /d/ and /r/ are evidenced as distinct phonemes in early epigraphic records.<ref name="auto12">{{Cite web |date=18 January 1971 |title=ప్రాచీనాంధ్రశాసనాలు (క్రీ.శ. 1100వరకు) (పాఠ, పదకోశ, సంగ్రహభాషా చరిత్రలతో): బూదరాజు రాధాకృష్ |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.493129 |access-date=30 December 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=18 January 2012 |title=Proposal to encode 0C5A TELUGU LETTER RRRA |url=https://unicode.org/L2/L2012/12016-telugu-rrra-proposal.pdf |access-date=6 April 2024 |publisher=unicode.org}}</ref>
* Tenses: Tenses were structured as "past vs non-past," and gender was categorized as "masculine vs non-masculine."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/dravidian-languages/CB6877BB2AFC237DA0B154E62F8DD898&ved=2ahUKEwi57o6r6eSDAxX3cGwGHXNlAJMQFnoECA4QBQ&usg=AOvVaw3nl5sxu0iZyE2nHwS5mszk|title=Dravidian Languages, Krishnamurti|accessdate=23 February 2025}}</ref>
* Demonstratives: Three demonstratives were in use: ''ā'' (distant 'that'), ''ī'' (proximate 'this'), and ''ū'' (intermediate 'yonder'; in Classical Telugu, ''ulla'').<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Dravidian Languages by Bhadriraju Krishnamurthi |url=https://edisciplinas.usp.br/pluginfile.php/4415432/mod_folder/content/0/Cambridge%2520Language%2520Surveys/Krishnamurti%25202003.%2520The%2520Dravidian%2520Languages.pdf?forcedownload=1 |page=256}}</ref>
* Non-Palatalized Initials: Non-palatalized initials are identified in words like ''kēsiri'' ("they did"), found in inscriptions up until the 8th century CE.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Andronov |first1=Mikhail Sergeevich |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vhB60gYvnLgC&pg=PA23 |title=A Comparative Grammar of the Dravidian Languages |date=18 January 2024 |publisher=Otto Harrassowitz Verlag |isbn=978-3-447-04455-4 |page=60}}</ref>
* Word Endings: Words typically ended in vowels, though some had consonant endings with [[sonorant]]s like ''-y'', ''-r'', ''-m'', ''-n'', ''-l'', ''-ḷ'', ''-ḻ'', and ''-w''. Classical Telugu developed an [[Epenthesis|epenthetic]] ''-u'' that vowelized the final consonant, a feature that has been partly retained in Modern Telugu.
* Place Name Suffixes: Archaic place name suffixes include ''-puḻōl'', ''-ūr'', ''-paḷḷiya'', ''-pāḷiyam'', ''-paṟṟu'', ''-konḏa'', ''-pūṇḍi'', ''-paṭṭaṇa(ṁbu)'', ''pāḻu'', ''paṟiti'', and ''pāka(m)''.<ref name="auto12" />
* Apical Displacement: Apical displacement was underway for certain words.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Krishnamurti |first=Bhadriraju |title=Comparative Dravidian Linguistics |chapter=Areal and Lexical Diffusion of Sound Change: Evidence from Dravidian |date=2001 |pages=160–182 |doi=10.1093/oso/9780198241225.003.0010 |isbn=978-0-19-824122-5 |chapter-url=https://academic.oup.com/book/48110/chapter-abstract/421300203?redirectedFrom=fulltext}}</ref>
* Conjunctive Marker: The conjunctive marker ''-um'' had various structural applications.<ref>{{Cite web |date=18 January 1971 |title=Early Telugu Inscriptions (Up to 1100 AD), Dr. Budaraju Radha Krishna. |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.493129/page/n1/mode/1up |quote=Pg: ci; "Of these, '-umu' is the earliest form".}}</ref>

=== Earliest records ===
One of the earliest Telugu words, ''nāgabu'', found at the [[Amaravati Stupa]], is dated to around 200 BCE.<ref name=":5">{{Cite book |page=109 |url=https://archive.org/details/bharathi19280601/page/n109/mode/2up |title=ప్రాచీనాంధ్ర శాసనాలు, వేటూరి ప్రభాకర శాస్త్రి |date=1928-06-01 |language=Telugu}}</ref> This word was further analyzed by [[Iravatham Mahadevan]] in his attempts to decipher the [[Indus script]].<ref name=":7">{{Cite web |page=4 |title=Harappan Heritage of Andhra |url=https://rmrl.in/wp-content/plugins/book_lists/admin/pdf_books/38%20-%20Harappan%20Heritage%20of%20Andhra_%20A%20New%20Interpretation%20(2010).pdf}}</ref> Several Telugu words, primarily personal and place names, were identified at [[Amaravati]], [[Nagarjunakonda]], [[Krishna Basin|Krishna river basin]], [[Ballari]], [[Eluru]], [[Ongole]] and [[Nellore]] between 200 BCE and 500 CE.<ref>{{Cite book |chapter=Chapter III |pages=22–30 |title=Telugu words in Prakrit and Sanskrit inscriptions |author=K. Mahadeva Sastri |date=1969 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.153565/page/n38/mode/1up?view=theater}}</ref>

The [[Ghantasala, Krishna district|Ghantasala]] Brahmin inscription<ref>{{cite web |editor-last=Chhabra |editor-first=B. CH. |editor2-last=Rao |editor2-first=N. Lakshminarayan |title=Epigraphia Indica Vol. XXVII 1947- 48 |url=http://indianculture.gov.in/ebooks/epigraphia-indica-vol-xxvii-1947-48 |access-date=5 April 2023 |website= |pages=1–4 |language=en}}</ref> and the pillar inscription of Vijaya Satakarni at Vijayapuri, [[Nagarjunakonda]], and other locations date to the first century CE.<ref name=":422"/><ref>{{cite web |title=R.Gandhi vs The Secretary to the Government |url=https://indiankanoon.org/doc/24294042/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180819015314/https://indiankanoon.org/doc/24294042/ |archive-date=19 August 2018 |access-date=9 May 2018 |website=[[Indian Kanoon]]}}</ref> Additionally, the [[:te:తుమ్మలగూడెం|Tummalagudem]] inscription of the [[Vishnukundina dynasty|Vishnukundinas]] dates to the 5th century CE.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vk1mAAAAMAAJ&q=Tummalagudem |title=Epigraphia Andhrica |date=1969 |publisher=Government of Andhra Pradesh |volume=2 |pages=9–14 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":422"/> Telugu place names in Prakrit inscriptions are attested from the 2nd century CE onwards.<ref name=":15">{{cite book |last=Krishnamurti |first=Bhadriraju |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=54fV7Lwu3fMC&dq=first+inscription+in+Telugu+575&pg=PA23 |title=The Dravidian Languages |date=16 January 2003 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-139-43533-8 |page=23 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Hock |first1=Hans Henrich |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PSFBDAAAQBAJ&dq=first+inscription+in+Telugu+575&pg=PA99 |title=The Languages and Linguistics of South Asia: A Comprehensive Guide |last2=Bashir |first2=Elena |date=24 May 2016 |publisher=Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG |isbn=978-3-11-042330-3 |page=99 |language=en}}</ref>

A number of Telugu words were found in the [[Sanskrit]] and [[Prakrit]] inscriptions of the [[Satavahana|Satavahana dynasty]], [[Vishnukundinas|Vishnukundina dynasty]], and [[Andhra Ikshvaku]]s.<ref name=":422"/> The coin legends of the Satavahanas, in all areas and all periods, used a [[Prakrit]] dialect without exception. Some reverse coin legends are in Telugu{{Sfn|Sinopoli|2001|p=163}}<ref name="MP">{{cite book |last=Pollock |first=Sheldon |title=The Language of the Gods in the World of Men: Sanskrit, Culture, and Power in Premodern India |publisher=University of California Press |year=2003 |isbn=978-0-5202-4500-6 |page=290}}</ref> and [[Tamil language|Tamil]] languages.<ref name="Taylor & Francis">{{cite book |last1=Yandell |first1=Keith E. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ucMeAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA253 |title=Religion and Public Culture: Encounters and Identities in Modern South India |last2=Paul |first2=John J. |publisher=Taylor & Francis |year=2013 |isbn=978-1-136-81808-0 |page=253 |access-date=3 March 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221013131438/https://books.google.com/books?id=ucMeAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA253 |archive-date=13 October 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref>[[File:Telugu talli bomma.JPG|thumb|Telugu Talli Bomma (statue of Mother Telugu), the personification of Telugu language in Andhra Pradesh]]

=== Post-Ikshvaku period ===
{{Main|Early Telugu epigraphy}}The period from the 4th century CE to 1022 CE marks the second phase of Telugu history, following the [[Andhra Ikshvaku]] period. The first long inscription entirely in Telugu, dated to 575 CE, is attributed to the [[Renati Chodas|Renati Choda]] king Dhanunjaya and found in the [[Kadapa district]].<ref name=":15" /><ref>{{cite book |last=Frawley |first=William J. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6ftQEAAAQBAJ&dq=first+inscription+that+is+entirely+in+Telugu,+dated+575&pg=RA3-PA219 |title=International Encyclopedia of Linguistics |date=1 May 2003 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-977178-3 |page=219 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=BBC_Feb2022>{{cite news |last=రెడ్డి |first=తులసీ ప్రసాద్ |date=22 February 2022 |title=కడప జిల్లాలోని కలమల్ల శాసనమే తొలి తెలుగు శాసనమా? |language=te |work=BBC News తెలుగు |url=https://www.bbc.com/telugu/india-60467482 |access-date=5 April 2023}}</ref>

An early Telugu label inscription, "tolacuvānḍru" (తొలచువాండ్రు; {{Translation|rock carvers or quarrymen}}), is found on one of the rock-cut caves around the [[Keesaragutta Temple|Keesaragutta temple]], 35 kilometers from [[Hyderabad]].<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4gpDAAAAYAAJ&q=Telugu+label+inscription |title=Itihas |date=1989 |publisher=Director of State Archives, Government of Andhra Pradesh. |volume=15 |page=34 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Reddy |first1=Emani Siva Nagi |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lddOAAAAYAAJ&q=keesaragutta+telugu+inscription |title=Evolution of Building Technology: Early and Madieval [i.e. Medieval] in Andhradeśa |last2=Śivanāgireḍḍi |first2=Īmani |date=1998 |publisher=Bharatiya Kala Prakashan |isbn=978-81-86050-29-3 |page=315 |language=en}}</ref> This inscription is dated to the [[Vishnukundina dynasty|Vishnukundina]] period of around 400 CE<ref name="auto">{{cite web |title=Ancient Temples of Telangana |url=http://anyflip.com/voxm/rlzk/basic |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171011122959/http://anyflip.com/voxm/rlzk/basic |archive-date=11 October 2017 |access-date=28 July 2017 |website= |publisher=Government of Telangana |page=47}}</ref><ref name=":17">{{cite web |date=10 January 2022 |title=విష్ణుకుండి రాజధాని కీసర |url=https://www.ntnews.com/editpage/editorial-article-news-5-398554 |access-date=6 April 2023 |website=[[Namasthe Telangana]] |language=te-IN}}</ref> and is the earliest known short Telugu inscription from the Telangana region.<ref name=":17" />

Several titles of [[Mahendravarman I]] in Telugu language, dated to {{Circa|600 CE}}, were inscribed on cave-inscriptions in Tamil Nadu.<ref>{{Cite web |page=323 |title=Mahendravarman I |date=1960 |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.98114/page/n5}}</ref>

From the 6th century onwards, complete Telugu inscriptions began to appear in districts neighbouring Kadapa such as Prakasam and [[Palnadu district|Palnadu]].<ref name="WebpageNotGIF" />{{Rp|page=10}} Metrically composed Telugu inscriptions and those with ornamental or literary prose appear from 630 CE.<ref name=":16">{{cite book |last=Rādhākr̥ṣṇa |first=Būdarāju |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XFxkAAAAMAAJ&q=Metrically+composed+ |title=Occasional Papers in Language and Literature |date=1998 |publisher=Prachee Publications |isbn=978-81-7443-007-6 |page=126 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":13">{{cite web |last=T. |first=Vijay Kumar |title=Translation as Negotiation: The Making of Telugu Language and Literature |url=https://ntm.org.in/download/ttvol/volume10-1/Translation-as-Negotiation-The%20Making-of-Telugu%20Language-and-Literature.pdf |pages=65, 67, 68}}</ref> The Madras Museum plates of Balliya Choda dated to the mid-ninth century CE, are the earliest copper plate grants in the Telugu language.<ref>{{cite book |author=D. C. Sircar |title=Indian Epigraphy |volume=10 |series=Epigraphy, Palaeography, Numismatics Series |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publ. |year=1996 |page=50}}</ref>

During this period, Telugu was heavily influenced by Sanskrit and Prakrit, corresponding to the advent of Telugu literature. Initially, Telugu literature appeared in inscriptions and poetry in the courts of rulers, and later in written works, such as [[Nannayya]]'s ''[[Andhra Mahabharatam]]'' (1022&nbsp;CE).<ref name="APOnline">{{cite web |title=Languages |url=http://www.aponline.gov.in/Quick%20links/HIST-CULT/languages.html |work=aponline.gov.in |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120208110254/http://www.aponline.gov.in/Quick%20links/HIST-CULT/languages.html |archive-date=8 February 2012}}</ref>

=== Middle Ages ===
The third phase is marked by further stylisation and sophistication of the literary languages. During this period the split of the [[Telugu script|Telugu]] from the [[Telugu-Kannada alphabet]] took place.<ref>{{cite book|title= The Dravidian Languages |last= Krishnamurti |first= Bhadriraju |year= 2003 |publisher= [[Cambridge University Press]] |isbn= 978-0-521-77111-5 |pages= [https://archive.org/details/dravidianlanguag00kris/page/n107 78]–79 |url=https://archive.org/details/dravidianlanguag00kris|url-access= limited}}</ref>

=== Vijayanagara Empire ===
The [[Vijayanagara Empire]] gained dominance from 1336 to the late 17th century, reaching its peak during the rule of [[Krishnadevaraya]] in the 16th century, when Telugu literature experienced what is considered its [[Golden Age]].<ref name="APOnline" /> The 15th-century Venetian explorer [[Niccolò de' Conti]], who visited the [[Vijayanagara Empire]], found that the words in the Telugu language end with vowels, just like those in [[Italian language|Italian]], and hence referred to it as "The Italian of the East";<ref>{{cite news |last=Rao |first=M. Malleswara |date=22 December 2012 |title=When foreigners fell in love with Telugu language |url=https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/when-foreigners-fell-in-love-with-telugu-language/article4227784.ece |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200808053858/https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/when-foreigners-fell-in-love-with-telugu-language/article4227784.ece |archive-date=8 August 2020 |access-date=15 July 2019 |newspaper=The Hindu}}</ref> a saying that has been widely repeated.<ref name="Morris2005">{{cite book |last=Morris |first=Henry |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P0AOJBShvRAC&pg=PA86 |title=A Descriptive and Historical Account of the Godavery District in the Presidency of Madras |publisher=Asian Educational Services |year=2005 |isbn=978-81-206-1973-9 |page=86 |access-date=29 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221013131427/https://books.google.com/books?id=P0AOJBShvRAC&pg=PA86 |archive-date=13 October 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Delhi Sultanate, Qutb Shahi, and Nizam era ===
A distinct dialect developed in present-day [[Hyderabad]] region, due to [[Persian language|Persian]] and [[Arabic]] influence. This influence began with the establishment of the [[Delhi Sultanate]] rule by the [[Tughlaq dynasty]] in the northern Deccan Plateau during the 14th century.

In the latter half of the 17th century, the [[Mughal Empire]] extended further south, culminating in the establishment of the [[Hyderabad State]] by the dynasty of the [[Nizam of Hyderabad]] in 1724. This heralded an era of [[Persian literature|Persian]] influence on the Telugu language, especially Hyderabad State. The effect is also evident in the prose of the early 19th century, as in the ''[[kaifiyat]]s''.<ref name="APOnline" />

=== Colonial period ===
In the late 19th and the early 20th centuries, the influence of the [[English language]] was seen, and modern communication/printing press arose as an effect of [[British Raj|British rule]], especially in the areas that were part of the [[Madras Presidency]]. Literature from this time had a mix of classical and modern traditions and included works by such scholars as [[Gidugu Venkata Ramamoorty]], [[Kandukuri Veeresalingam]], [[Gurajada Apparao]], Gidugu Sitapati and [[Panuganti Lakshminarasimha Rao]].<ref name="APOnline" />

In the princely [[Hyderabad State]], the [[Andhra Mahasabha]] was started in 1921 with the main goal of promoting Telugu language, literature, its books and historical research. Key figures in this movement included [[Madapati Hanumantha Rao]] (founder of the Andhra Mahasabha), [[Komarraju Venkata Lakshmana Rao]] (founder of the Library Movement in Hyderabad State), and [[Suravaram Pratapa Reddy]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Sundarayya |first1=Puccalapalli |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TPjIh1G0TmcC&dq=%22Andhra+Mahasabha%22+-wikipedia&pg=PA12 |title=Telangana People's Struggle and Its Lessons |last2=Chattopadhyaya |first2=Harindranath |date=1972 |publisher=Foundation Books |isbn=978-81-7596-316-0 |page=12 |language=en}}</ref>

Since the 1930s, what was considered an "elite" literary form of the Telugu language has now spread to the common people with the introduction of [[mass media]] like movies, television, radio and newspapers. This form of the language is also taught in schools and colleges as a standard.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Krishnamurti |first1=Bhadriraju |title=A Grammar of Modern Telugu |last2=Gwynn |first2=J.P.L. |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1985 |location=New Delhi}}</ref>

=== Post-independence period ===
Telugu is one of the 22 [[languages with official status in India]].<ref>{{cite web |title=PART A Languages specified in the Eighth Schedule (Scheduled Languages) |url=http://censusindia.gov.in/Census_Data_2001/Census_Data_Online/Language/Statement1.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029190612/http://censusindia.gov.in/Census_Data_2001/Census_Data_Online/Language/Statement1.htm |archive-date=29 October 2013}}</ref> The Andhra Pradesh Official Language Act, 1966, declares Telugu the official language of the state that is currently divided into Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.<ref>{{cite news |last=Rao |first=M. Malleswara |title=Telugu declared official language |newspaper=[[The Hindu]] |date=18 September 2005 |url=http://www.hindu.com/2005/09/18/stories/2005091803740600.htm |access-date=16 July 2007 |archive-date=10 August 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070810140217/http://www.hindu.com/2005/09/18/stories/2005091803740600.htm }}</ref><ref name="APOnline2">{{cite web|url=http://www.aponline.gov.in/Quick%20links/hist-cult/history_post.html|title=AP Fact File: Post-Independence Era|work=aponline.gov.in|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131220113947/http://www.aponline.gov.in/quick%20links/hist-cult/history_post.html|archive-date=20 December 2013}}</ref> It also has official language status in the [[Yanam district]] of the [[union territory]] of [[Puducherry (union territory)|Puducherry]]. It is the fourth most spoken Indian language in India after [[Hindi]], [[Bengali language|Bengali]] and [[Marathi language|Marathi]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Jain |first1=Bharti |date=27 June 2018 |title=Hindi mother tongue of 44% in India, Bangla second most-spoken |work=The Economic Times |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/hindi-mother-tongue-of-44-in-india-bangla-second-most-spoken/articleshow/64759135.cms |access-date=27 June 2018}}</ref> It is one of the six [[Classical Languages of India|classical languages of India]].<ref name="antiquity">{{cite web |title=Declaration of Telugu and Kannada as classical languages |url=http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=44340 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081216124306/http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=44340 |archive-date=16 December 2008 |access-date=31 October 2008 |work=Press Information Bureau |publisher=Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Government of India}}</ref><ref name="classical">{{cite news |date=1 October 2008 |title=Telugu gets classical status |newspaper=[[The Times of India]] |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Hyderabad/Telugu_gets_classical_status/articleshow/3660521.cms |access-date=1 November 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081104015938/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Hyderabad/Telugu_gets_classical_status/articleshow/3660521.cms |archive-date=4 November 2008}}</ref>

[[Telugu Language Day]] is celebrated every year on 29 August, the birthday of Telugu poet [[Gidugu Venkata Ramamurthy]].<ref>{{cite news|date=26 August 2010|title=Telugu Language Day on August 29|language=en-IN|work=The Hindu|url=https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-andhrapradesh/Telugu-Language-Day-on-August-29/article16145571.ece|access-date=4 December 2020|issn=0971-751X|archive-date=22 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201022221551/https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-andhrapradesh/Telugu-Language-Day-on-August-29/article16145571.ece|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Telugu Language Day 2020: 6 Tollywood songs that emphasize the importance of Telugu language|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/telugu/movies/news/telugu-language-day-2020-6-tollywood-songs-that-emphasize-the-importance-of-telugu-language/articleshow/77818454.cms|access-date=4 December 2020|website=The Times of India|language=en|archive-date=15 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210415110338/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/telugu/movies/news/telugu-language-day-2020-6-tollywood-songs-that-emphasize-the-importance-of-telugu-language/articleshow/77818454.cms|url-status=live}}</ref> The fourth [[World Telugu Conference]] was organised in [[Tirupati]] in the last week of December 2012. Issues related to [[Telugu language policy]] were deliberated at length.<ref>{{cite web |author=B. Prabhakara Sarma |date=6 December 2012 |title=World Telugu Conference: Then and now |url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/world-telugu-conference-then-and-now/article4167022.ece |access-date=3 February 2013 |work=The Hindu}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=V. |first=Rishi Kumar |date= |title=Tirupathi to host World Telugu Conference |url=http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/states/tirupathi-to-host-world-telugu-conference/article4130001.ece |access-date=3 February 2013 |website=[[Business Line]] |publisher=}}</ref> The American Community Survey has said that data for 2016 which were released in September 2017 showed Telugu is the third most widely spoken Indian language in the US. Hindi tops the list followed by Gujarati, as of the [[2010 United States Census|2010 census]].<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.census.gov/ |title= Language spoken at home by ability to speak english for the population 5 years and over |work= [[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date= 2 December 2017 |archive-date= 27 December 1996 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/19961227012639/https://www.census.gov/ |url-status= live}}  Note: Excluding other languages with many speakers outside India such as Urdu</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Bhattacharya |first=Ananya |date=24 September 2018 |title=America's fastest growing foreign language is from south India |url=https://qz.com/india/1399825/telugu-is-uss-fastest-growing-foreign-language/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220812083339/https://qz.com/india/1399825/telugu-is-uss-fastest-growing-foreign-language/ |archive-date=12 August 2022 |access-date=12 August 2022 |website=Quartz |language=en}}</ref>

In the Indian subcontinent, a command over the Telugu language, alongside [[Sanskrit]], [[Tamil language|Tamil]], [[Meitei language|Meitei]], [[Odia language|Oriya]], [[Persian language in the Indian subcontinent|Persian]], or [[Arabic]], is highly appreciated and respected for learning dances (most significantly [[Indian Classical Dance]]s) as dancers could have the tools of these languages to go into the primary material texts.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Munsi |first1=Urmimala Sarkar |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bKepAgAAQBAJ&dq=classical+language+meitei&pg=PT35 |title=Traversing Tradition: Celebrating Dance in India |last2=Burridge |first2=Stephanie |date=2012 |publisher=[[Routledge]], [[Taylor & Francis]] |isbn=978-1-136-70378-2 |location=en |page=35 |language=en |quote=... This means a command of Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu, Oriya, Meitei, Persian, or Arabic. ...}}</ref>