Telugu Language Day is observed on August 29 every year in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Telugu is one of the six classical languages in India which is spoken in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. August 29 was chosen as Telugu Language Day to coincide with the birthday of prominent Telugu writer, Gidugu Venkata Ramamurthy. He was born on August 29, 1863. Ramamurthy was one of the popular linguists during British rule. He advocated the use of language and stood firmly against the use of scholar language. Different events will be held on Telugu Language Day 2019 aiming at making the language popular.

Spoken Telugu is different from the spoken one. Due to which learning written Telugu was not helpful during communication or understanding of the language. However, with the help of Ramamoorthy, spoke Telugu came to be standardised and was accepted by scholars. Today, modern Telugu is used in schools and educational institutions as the medium of instruction, examination and also writing. The government of Andhra Pradesh works towards the betterment of the South Indian language. They provide funds and rewards towards the betterment of the language.

Various programmes are held in making the language popular among the natives of the land. The Department of Culture is responsible for organising events on behalf of the Government of Andhra Pradesh on Telugu Language Day. Telugu is the most widely spoken language in the Dravidian language family. The etymology of Telugu is not certain with some historians saying it derived from Sanskrit triliṅgam, as in Trilinga Desam, 'the country of the three lingas'.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 29, 2019 08:10 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).