ABSTRACT
Tulu (tuḷu) is spoken by more than 3 million people, half as their mother tongue and half as a second language. Its use is confined to a discrete area including most of the South Kanara district (except the north) in Karnataka and Kasaragod Taluk in the north of neighboring Kerala. Tulu speakers have also migrated within India in pursuit of commercial opportunities; they are consequently found in most major cities even though the Census of India generally counts them as Kannaḍa speakers.
