The
Kodava or
Coorg language (
Kannada script: ಕೊಡವ ತಕ್ಕ್
Kodava takk, meaning 'speech of Kodavas', in the Kodava language) is a
Dravidian language and the original language of the
Kodagu district in southern
Karnataka,
India. The term
Kodava has two related usages. Firstly, it is the name of the Kodava language and culture followed by a number of communities from
Kodagu. Secondly, within the Kodava - speaking communities and region (
Kodagu) it describes the dominant
Kodava caste. Hence, it is not only the
primary language of
Kodavas but also of a large number of other castes and tribes in Kodagu. The Kodava language has two dialects: Mendele (spoken in Northern and Central Kodagu, i.e. outside Kodagu's Kiggat naad) and Kiggat (spoken in Kiggat naad, in Southern Kodagu).