| Koya | |
|---|---|
| కోయా,କୋୟା,कोया | |
| Native to | India |
| Ethnicity | Koya |
Native speakers | 455,000 (2011)[1] |
Dravidian
| |
| Telugu,Odia,Devanagari | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | kff |
| Glottolog | koya1251 |
Koya (IPA:[koja]) is a South-CentralDravidian language of theGondi–Kui group spoken in central and southern India. It is the native language of theKoya people. It is sometimes described as adialect ofGondi, but it is mutually unintelligible with Gondi dialects.[2][3]
Koya is the language spoken by the tribal community in Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA),Rampachodavaram,East Godavari district ; ITDA,Kotaramachandrapuram,West Godavari district; ITDA,Bhadrachalam inKhammam district, after telanaga state formation now it is in the part of Bhadradri Kothagudem District.Telanagana . in the year of 2025 Integrated TribalDevelopment Agency (ITDA)developed a Museum to show the culture of the Koya community and other Sheudule tribes. The Koyas also live in the southernmost part ofSukma inChhattisgarh andMalkangiri, the southwesternmost district ofOdisha.
Koya is variously written in theOriya,Telugu,Devanagari orLatin script.Sathupati Prasanna Sree has also developed a unique script for use with the Koya language. With 270,994 registered native speakers, it figures atrank 37 in the 1991Indian census.[citation needed] There are textbooks developed in Koya language under Mother Tongue based Multilingual Education Programme by Government of Andhra Pradesh and implemented in 50 primary schools in Koya habitations.
