The Written and Spoken Styles
The difference between the literary and spoken style is not strongly marked. The Kannada language has several dialects among which the most notable varieties are the dialects of Mysore and Dharwad. The following examples are aimed at noting the distinction between the written style and the spoken style of the educated people of Mysore.
The written style of Kannada is used in modern poetry, prose, newspapers and other writings in general. It is also used on television for news and while presenting research papers. A mixture of written and spoken styles is used in literary speeches. Spoken style is used by people in everyday conversation.
1. Based on phonetic and phonemic changes
Differences in vocabulary are based on phonetic and phonemic changes.
Some of them result in vowel harmony. But there is complexity in these changes and most of the changes are irregular. Examples:
There is no change in the following.
| Written | Spoken | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ಬೇಕು | bēku | needed | ಬೇಕು | bēku |
| ಏನು | ēnu | what | ಏನು | ēnu |
| ಓದು | ōdu | study | ಓದು | ōdu |
| ಹಾಲು | hālu | milk | ಹಾಲು | hālu |
There is change in the following.
| Written | Spoken | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ಬೇಡ | bēḍa | not needed | ಬ್ಯಾಡ | bæḍa |
| ಏಕೆ | ēke | why | ಯಾಕೆ | yāke |
| ಓಲೆ | ōle | ear ornament | ವಾಲೆ | vāle |
| ಹಾಗೆ | hāge | that way | ಹಙ್ಗೆ | haṅge |
| ಹೇಗೆ | hēge | how | ಹೆಙ್ಗೆ | heṅge |
| ಬಹಳ | bahaḷa | much | ಬಾಳ | bāḷa |
2. Based on morphophonemic tendencies
It is necessary to observe the morphological systems of written and spoken styles. Many of the changes in spoken style are caused by special morphophonemic tendencies. It is to be noted that some of the morphophonemic changes are peculiar to spoken style and some of them are common to both the styles.
(a) In modern Kannada, words end in vowels. Among the vowels, 'u' is the most common. In spoken Kannada, the final 'u' is dropped in most cases. When 'nu' occurs as a suffix in nouns, pronouns and verbs, it is also dropped in most cases.
| Written | Spoken | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ಅವನು ಬಂದನು | avanu bandanu | He came | ಅವನ್ ಬಂದ | avan banda |
| ರಾಮನು | Rāmanu | Rama | ರಾಮ | Rāma |
| ತಮ್ಮನು | tammanu | younger brother | ತಮ್ಮ | tamma |
| ಹೋದನು | hōdanu | he went | ಹೋದ | hōda |
(b) Other vowels and consonants are also dropped in spoken style. Examples:
| Written | Spoken | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ಬರುತ್ತಾನೆ | baruttāne | he comes | ಬರ್ತಾನೆ | bartāne |
| ಮಾಡುತ್ತಾಳೆ | māḍuttāḷe | she does | ಮಾಡ್ತಾಳೆ | māḍtāḷe |
| ಕತ್ತಲು | kattalu | darkness | ಕತ್ಲು | katlu |
| ಮಕ್ಕಳು | makkaḷu | children | ಮಕ್ಳು | makḷu |
| ಮಾಡಿದೆನು | māḍidenu | I did | ಮಾಡ್ದೆ | māḍde |
| ಆಗಲಿ | āgali | let it be so | ಆಗ್ಲಿ | āgli |
| ಬರಲಿ | barali | let it come | ಬರ್ಲಿ | barli |
| ಕೇಳಲಿ | kēḷaḷi | let him/her listen | ಕೇಳ್ಳಿ | kēḷḷi |
| ನಗುತ್ತಾನೆ | naguttāne | he laughs | ನಗ್ತಾನೆ | nagtāne |
(c) Other changes in verbs:
| Written | Spoken | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ಬರೆ | bare | write | ಬರಿ | bari |
| ನಡೆ | naḍe | walk | ನಡಿ | naḍi |
| ಬರೆಯುತ್ತಾನೆ | bareyuttāne | he writes | ಬರೀತಾನೆ | barītāne |
| ಮಾಡುತ್ತೇನೆ | māḍuttēne | I will do | ಮಾಡ್ತೇನೆ/ಮಾಡ್ತೀನಿ | māḍtēne/māḍtīni |
| ಕಲಿಯುತ್ತೇನೆ | kaliyuttēne | I will learn | ಕಲೀತೀನಿ | kalītīni |
| ಕುಳಿತುಕೊಳ್ಳು | kuḷitukoḷḷu | sit | ಕೂತ್ಕೋ | kūtkō |
| ತೆಗೆದುಕೊಂಡು ಬಾ | tegedukoṇḍu bā | bring | ತಗೊಂಡ್ಬಾ | tagoṇḍbā |
| ಬರೆದುಕೊಂಡು ಓದು | baredukoṇḍu ōdu | write and read | ಬರ್ಕೊಂಡೋದು | barkoṇḍōdu |
| ಬರೆದುಕೊಳ್ಳುವುದು | baredukoḷḷuvudu | writing | ಬರ್ಕೊಳ್ಳೋದು | barkoḷḷōdu |
3. Based on cases
Changes occur in nominative stem when suffixes are attached and also when there is no attachment of case suffixes.
Nominative
| Written | Spoken | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ಹುಡುಗನು | huḍuga | boy | ಹುಡ್ಗ | huḍga |
| ಹುಡುಗಿಯರು | huḍugiyaru | girls | ಹುಡ್ಗೀರು | huḍgīru |
| ಮಾಮ>ಮಾವ | māma>māva | father-in-law | ಮಾವ | māṽa |
| ಕಾಲುಗಳು | kālugaḷu | legs | ಕಾಲ್ಗಳು | kālgaḷu |
Accusative
| Written | Spoken | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ಅತ್ತೆಯನ್ನು ನೋಡಿದೆನು | atteyannu nōḍidenu | I saw my aunt/mother-in-law | ಅತ್ತೇನ ನೋಡ್ದೆ | attēna nōḍde |
| ಹುಡುಗಿಯನ್ನು ನೋಡಿದೆನು | huḍugiyannu nōḍidenu | I saw the girl | ಹುಡುಗೀನ ನೋಡ್ದೆ | huḍugīna nōḍde |
| ಹಣ್ಣನ್ನು ತಿಂದೆನು | haṇṇannu tindenu | I ate the fruit | ಹಣ್ಣು ತಿಂದೆ | haṇṇu tinde |
| ಪುಸ್ತಕವನ್ನು ಓದಿದೆನು | pustakavannu ōdidenu | I read the book | ಪುಸ್ತಕ ಓದ್ದೆ | pustaa ōdde |
Instrumental and Ablative
| Written | Spoken | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ನನ್ನಿಂದ ಆಗುವುದಿಲ್ಲ | nanninda āguvudilla | It is not possible for me | ನನ್ನಿಂದಾಗೋಲ್ಲ | nannindāgōlla |
| ಮೈಸೂರಿನಿಂದ ಬಂದೆನು | maisūrininda bandenu | I came from Mysuru | ಮೈಸೂರಿಂದ ಬಂದೆ | maisūrinda bande |
Dative
| Written | Spoken | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ಪುಸ್ತಕಕ್ಕೆ | pustakakke | for a book | ಪುಸ್ತಕಕೆ | pustakake |
| ಮಾಡುವುದಕ್ಕೆ | māḍuvudakke | to do | ಮಾಡೋಕ್ಕೆ | māḍōkke |
| ಮಗುವಿಗೆ | maguvige | to the child | ಮಗೀಗೆ | magīge |
Genitive
| Written | Spoken | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ಗೋಡೆಯಮೇಲೆ | gōḍeyamēle | on the wall | ಗೋಡೇಮೇಲೆ | gōḍēmēle |
| ಮನೆಯಲ್ಲಿ | maneyalli | in the house | ಮನೇಲಿ | manēli |
Convert the following into spoken style.
1. ನಾನು ಬಂದೆನು
2. ರಾಮನು ಕಾಡಿಗೆ ಹೋದನು
3. ಅವನಿಗೆ ಬಹಳ ಕೋಪ
4. ರಾಮಣ್ಣ ನಾಳೆ ಬರುತ್ತಾನೆ
5. ಅವಳು ಚೆನ್ನಾಗಿ ಹಾಡುತ್ತಾಳೆ
6. ಆ ಮನೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಇಬ್ಬರು ಹುಡುಗಿಯರು ಇದ್ದಾರೆ
7. ಅವನು ಪುಸ್ತಕ ಬರೆಯುತ್ತಾನೆ
8. ನಮ್ಮ ತಂದೆ ಮನೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಇಲ್ಲ
9. ನಾನು ಊರಿಗೆ ಹೋಗಿ ನಮ್ಮ ಮಾವನನ್ನು ನೋಡಿದೆ
10. ಅವಳು ಎರಡು ಹಣ್ಣುಗಳನ್ನು ತಿಂದಳು
11. ಆ ಕೆಲಸ ನನ್ನಿಂದ ಆಗುವುದಿಲ್ಲ
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Learn Basics - Grammar Modules
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