Tamil language

Tamil /ˈtæmɪl/ (தமிழ், tamiḻ, [t̪ɐmɨɻ] ^?) is a Dravidian language predominantly spoken by the Tamil people of India and northern Sri Lanka, and also by the Tamil diaspora. Tamil is an official language of two countries, Singapore and Sri Lanka, and has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the Indian Union Territory of Puducherry. It is also used as one of the languages of education in Malaysia, along with English, Malay and Mandarin. In India, outside of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, Tamil is also spoken in the states of Kerala, Puducherry and Andaman and Nicobar Islands as a secondary language and by minorities in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. It is one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and was the first Indian language declared as a classical language, which was done by the Government of India in 2004. The language is also spoken by Tamil minorities in Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates, the United States, United Kingdom, Mauritius, Canada,South Africa,Fiji,Germany, the Philippines, the Netherlands, Indonesia and France, as well as smaller emigrant communities elsewhere.