How to Use This Book

Famously described as the Italian of the East, Telugu is a Dravidian language spoken by 75 million people in the south of India in the state of Andhra Pradesh and the surrounding states. It is the largest spoken Dravidian language and occupies a second place among the 23 languages in India. The earliest Telugu inscription is from 633 AD, and the history of Telugu literature begins in the 11th century with the translation of the Mahabharata. Telugu as a language and culture represents a multi-cultural space where Jainism, Buddhism, and Islam along with Hinduism, have a long history. In Hyderabad, the capital of Andhra Pradesh, we can find mostly Islamic cultures both physically and culturally. The Telugu language spoken in Hyderabad is, to a large extent, influenced by Urdu and Persian cultures. As such we find more Urdu words sprinkled in the spoken Telugu in Hyderabad and its neighboring areas. A single sentence might have both Telugu and Urdu words.

For instance: jara aagu. That means “please stop a while.”

Aagu is a Telugu informal verb while jara is an Urdu word which means “a while.” That means, when you’re in Hyderabad or the neighbouring areas, you should be aware of Urdu usages to avoid miscommunication. Andhra Pradesh has four regions: Telangana, Central Andhra, Eastern Andhra, and Rayala Sima. Historically, the Hyderabad state, now known as Telangana or Nizam, was under Muslim rule for four hundred years while coastal Andhra was under British rule. Along with Hyderabad and Secunderabad, the twin cities, nine districts are in Telangana known as the northern Andhra. Rayalasima is the southern part of Andhra, which has four districts. Eastern Andhra has two major districts, Visakha Patnam and Vijaya Nagaram. Central Andhra has the midcoastal districts of East and West Godavari, Krishna, and Guntur districts. However, for various cultural reasons, such as print culture and early developments in Telugu journalism, the dialect used in the Krishna-Godavari belt has become the standard Telugu. Whatever the regional variations in Andhra Pradesh, the most common pattern of sentence-making follows certain general characteristics which you will learn throughout this book.

This book is a modest effort to make your learning process in Telugu a viable practical experience. Though it’s a great fun to learn Telugu, learning script might take a while as it involves secondary symbols and double consonants. However, we tried our best to make this process a simpler one. Once you’re familiar with the script, focus on the pronunciation of each letter in combination with the other letters. It’s always advisable to start with double-lettered words and then go to the complex patterns. While practicing the vocabulary, you should be aware of various dialects, along with the classical and modern usages. As the Telugu language has a history of more than a millennium, it has several archaic and classical features even its modern usages. Also, the language that is commonly used as a standard Telugu in the newspapers and media is influenced by the Sanskritic usages too. As we follow the standard Telugu patterns in planning this book, the learners who get an opportunity to visit Andhra should be aware of various dialects, slang, and colloquial practices. You should be able to transfer your knowledge of standard Telugu to real-life contexts accordingly.

Instructions to the Learner

1. While practicing the script, pronounce each letter loudly in order to familiarize yourselves with the Telugu sound system. At first, pronounce the basic script while writing. Secondly, try to use secondary symbols in the combination of various basic letters. Be aware of double consonants like stree (woman) which has four sounds like sa + ta + ra + I. As these are very common in Telugu, they need more practice.
2. The vocabulary and the grammar patterns in this book focus more on the practical uses of the language in everyday life in Andhra. We tried to put the learning process of the vocabulary in a context. They are the standard patterns irrespective of region, dialect, and individual speaking manners. As the vocabulary given before each conversation helps to familiarize you and make you comfortable, try to memorize as much vocabulary as you can.
3. Speaking styles vary from person to person and place to place. Don’t worry about the dialects and individual speaking patterns.