Languages and Literature /Contents

Indian languages

K. Thilagawathi and Krishnan Ramasamy

Contacts between the Malay World and the civilizations of India began more than 2000 years ago. By the 4th century CE, Sanskrit and other languages spoken in India were having a substantial impact on the Malay language through trade and cultural links. Major migration from India to the Malay Peninsula began in the late 18th century, peaked around 1920, and resulted in an Indian community speaking many languages. In recent times the dominance of Tamil has increased.

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  • Languages in action
Tamil

Programme cover from the 6th International Tamil Language Studies Conference, held in Kuala Lumpur in 1987.