Here's a breakdown of the top Dravidian languages in India by speaker count:
1. Telugu: Spoken by over 80 million people, primarily in the state of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
2. Tamil: Spoken by around 69 million people, mainly in Tamil Nadu and parts of Sri Lanka.
3. Marathi: Although it is an Indo-Aryan language, Marathi is often classified as a Dravidian language due to its significant Dravidian influence. It is spoken by around 83 million people, mostly in the state of Maharashtra.
4. Kannada: Spoken by around 44 million people, predominantly in the state of Karnataka.
5. Malayalam: Spoken by around 35 million people, mainly in the state of Kerala.
Other Dravidian languages in India include:
* Tulu
* Kodava
* Brahui
* Gondi
* Kui
* Kurukh
These languages are spoken by a significant portion of the Indian population, making them essential to understanding the diverse linguistic landscape of the country.