The Italian of the East: Is It Language or Music?

 

In the 15th century, Venetian explorer Niccolò de’ Conti coined the phrase “The Italian of the East” for Telugu, captivated by its melody and rhythm. He famously asked, “Is this language or music?”

Telugu boasts around 96 million speakers and ranks 16th globally, while Italian, with approximately 60-70 million speakers, falls outside the top 20, usually around 21st or 22nd.

Despite its cultural prominence, Italian’s global reach may be possibly smaller than Telugu’s owing to this upcoming election between the beautiful & elegant Dravidians of the United States.

Usha Vance, wife of Trump's VP pick, takes stage at Republican convention |  Reuters
  Telugu Usha Vance
Kamala Harris: The Vice President
reprising the historic Telugu-Tamil rivalry; Veep Kamala Harris

Maybe in light of the emerging 21st century power dynamics, it’s more appropriate to consider Italian as the “Telugu of the Mediterranean?” 🙂

But less on geopolitics and back to linguists; much like Italian, Telugu’s frequent use of vowel-ending words creates a natural rhythm, blurring the lines between speech and melody. Many thanks to the excellent video below for so much of the source content of the post.

Tl;dr Four Reasons Why Telugu is So Poetic:

  1. Vowel-Endings: Nearly every word in Telugu ends with a vowel, making it rhythmically pleasing and easy to rhyme.
  2. Vowel Harmony: Telugu’s phonetic structure ensures that vowels are adjusted for a more aesthetically pleasing flow, creating a melodic cadence.
  3. Verb Flexibility: Telugu verbs can take on thousands of forms from a single root (e.g., choodu becomes choosaanu, choosthunnanu, choosindi), allowing for nuanced expression and sound variation.
  4. Sanskrit, Prakrit, and Dravidian Influence: The layering of these linguistic traditions adds depth and variety to Telugu, enriching its poetic and musical capabilities.

See more detail after the jump.

1. A Language of Vowels

Telugu, known as the “Achuntu” or “language of vowels,” has a structure where nearly all words end in vowels, similar to the Italian language. Take the Telugu words illu (house), cheyi (hand), and puli (tiger). The consistent vowel-ending in these words makes them flow seamlessly into conversations and songs. This pattern, combined with vowel harmony, gives Telugu a unique rhythm that is distinctly musical. Words often transition smoothly without abrupt consonantal stops, enhancing the overall melodic feel.

2. Vowel Harmony

Vowel Harmony in South Asia is limited to Bengali & Telugu

This is reminiscent of another Indian language, Bengali, where vowels in words are fine-tuned to ensure smooth transitions in sound. Bengali, similarly celebrated for its sweetness, also emphasizes harmonious sound patterns, although Telugu’s emphasis on verb transformation makes it more flexible.

3. Verb Flexibility

Similarly, the verb transformation system allows flexibility, where from a root verb like choodu (to see), you can derive hundreds of forms like choosthunnanu (I am seeing), choosindi (it was seen), and choosaanu (I saw). This flexibility allows a speaker to play with sounds and rhythm, transforming the language into something that sounds like a musical composition (in the video above there are some phenomenal examples of the poetic, prose and rap culture in the Telugu language sphere, which I haven’t referenced here).

4. Deep Historical and Cultural Influence

Telugu’s phonetic beauty is a result of its long linguistic evolution, drawing heavily from Sanskrit and Prakrit.

During the Satavahana dynasty (200 BCE–300 CE), Telugu absorbed influences from (Maharashiri) Prakrit, and between 1100 AD and 1600 AD, it directly absorbed elements from Sanskrit.

These influences are reflected in words like gurinchi (about) and pilicheeyanu (I call), where the Sanskrit and Dravidian layers blend to create a rhythmic and melodic quality.

The word gurinchi (about), for example, shows its Sanskritic roots (gṛhītam), while retaining the inherent “dancing vowels” of Telugu.

Dialectical Variations with Sonorosity

The dialectical richness—Andhra (coastal Sanskrit-heavy standard highlighted), Rayalaseema (with a strong Tamil Touch in blue), and Telangana (layered with Persian and Urdu in rose pink)—adds even more complexity.

In Telangana Telugu, for instance, you hear words like nenu (I) and meeru (you) paired with Urdu borrowings like adab (greeting), which adds a distinct flavor to the dialect, maintaining lightness through soft, vowel-laden pronunciations.

Phonetic Comparisons with Italian

Italian is often recognized for its musical flow due to words like arrivederci or spaghetti with soft, rolling consonants and vowel endings. Similarly, Telugu words such as pachchi (green/raw) or butti (basket) have that gentle flow, creating a naturally pleasing auditory experience. Additionally, Telugu’s verb forms, such as pilicheeyanu (I call), carry the same fluid cadence as Italian’s chiamare (to call). The rhythmic pattern found in both languages explains why de’ Conti drew the parallel.

Global Recognition

4 of the 6 fastest-growing languages in the US of Indian origin - CNBC TV18
Telugu is one of the fastest-growing languages in the United States

Films like RRR have captured global attention, drawing audiences into its lyrical flow & iconic dance moves.

 

This ancient, mysterious letter, found in some old Telugu inscriptions, has puzzled scholars for centuries. Some believe it represents the rolling “Rrr” sound, which interestingly, mirrors the title of the blockbuster RRR. This forgotten symbol also deserves its moment in the spotlight.

Telugu’s rightful status

In conclusion, Telugu’s musicality, rooted in its vowel endings, verb transformations, multiple registers, and vowel harmony, allows it to flow like a continuous stream of sound, akin to music. This inherent rhythm is not just functional but a core part of its identity, echoing the awe Niccolò de’ Conti felt centuries ago.

Anirudh Singla on X: ""The grandeur of this language is such that it is  called Italian of the east..." There's a dire need for online Telugu  Content and we must strive to
What inspired me to write this post; the beauty of Indian language is something we should all know about both at home & abroad

It’s telling of colonial influence that languages like French, Italian, Persian and Urdu are often deemed “poetic,” while scientifically & structurally, Indian languages like Telugu and Bengali are naturally suited for musicality and poetry. This underscores how historical power dynamics shape perceptions, often obscuring true linguistic richness.

Appendices

The video presents several fascinating graphics (which I’ve interspersed through the post) showcasing the phonetic beauty of Telugu, the 16th most widely spoken language globally. I’ve excerpted a few below and elsewhere what I found to be interesting.

Notably, Telugu speakers in the U.S. now match the historically dominant Gujarati American population, demonstrating the increasing influence of this language within the Indian diaspora.

This graphic highlights the diversity of Filmfare Award-winning Telugu actresses by state of birth from 1972-2018. It reflects the fluid nature of Telugu culture, transcending state borders. Historically, cities like Chennai (formerly Madras) had significant Telugu-speaking populations, especially during the British colonial period, due to Madras’ role as a major administrative and cultural hub. While Tamil is now dominant in Chennai, the Telugu-speaking influence is still prominent, with actors from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Maharashtra excelling in Telugu cinema.
This graphic illustrates the Telugu Hallulu (consonants), highlighting the historical and linguistic origins of the letters. Each color represents a different influence. The chart showcases the deep historical layering of the language and its evolution from various ancient scripts.
This Indian postal stamp honors Pingali Venkayya, the designer of the Indian national flag. Venkayya’s legacy highlights the prominence of Telugu speakers in shaping India’s history. Some sporting stars like tennis champion Sania Mirza (who can’t fully understand Telugu), cricketer VVS Laxman, to badminton icon PV Sindhu.
Number of speakers (in millions) for the twenty most widely spoken... |  Download Scientific Diagram
This graphic highlights the most spoken languages worldwide, with several Indian languages—Hindi (#3), Bengali (#7), Marathi (#15), Telugu (#16), Tamil, and Urdu (#11)—featured prominently, reflecting India’s linguistic diversity. The inclusion of multiple Indian languages in the top 20 starkly contrasts with China’s linguistic homogeneity, where Mandarin Chinese dominates. India’s cultural pluralism is showcased through its numerous regional languages, each with its own rich history and cultural significance, contributing to the country’s enduring, vibrant, and multifaceted identity.
Languages of India - Wikipedia
This map highlights India’s linguistic diversity, with Hindi dominating large swathes of the north and center. However, Hindi, as it is recognized today, is somewhat of a catch-all construct. This centralization has often been a point of cultural tension, as these dialects, while categorized under “Hindi,” diverge significantly from each other in grammar, vocabulary, and phonetics, much more than the unified language suggests.
Top 20 Indian Scheduled Languages Ranked By Speakers (1961 - 2031) - YouTube
Some more granularity on India’s immense (and possibly unparalleled) linguistic diversity, with Hindi leading by a huge margin. However, Hindi, as officially categorized, is an amalgamation of numerous dialects and languages, such as Bhojpuri, Awadhi, and Braj, which are significantly different from each other. The standardization of Hindi often obscures these variations, with many of these dialects tracing their origins to different Indo-Aryan roots. Hindi’s classification as a single language, therefore, can be seen as a construct, masking the rich diversity beneath, but Bollywood & national policies have popularised it tremendously.
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Major Indo-Aryan languages of South Asia; Eastern Indo-Aryan languages in shades of yellow
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brown
brown
24 days ago

some where, the fact that telugu’s script was derived from her elder sister kannada needs to be noted!!!!

Basil II
Basil II
24 days ago

I just can’t appreciate their food

brown
brown
24 days ago

also the colonization of tamil lands by telagus from vijayanagar days needs to be mentioned, causing almost total domination of telagu language in music and culture etc….

Pandit Brown
Pandit Brown
23 days ago

My grandma who grew up in the Thanjavur region of Tamilnadu told me that she learned Telugu as a kid in the ’30s (though apparently she never got as fluent as her mother; FYI, they both had completely Tamil antecedents). I think Telugu was still considered a kind of prestige language there, 200-300 years after the last Telugu dynasty held sway over the region (the Nayakas, who were vassals of the Vijaynagar emperor).

brown
brown
21 days ago

no, rather enduring as in present day politics. the current ruling family is supposed to be of telagu origin….

brown
brown
20 days ago

to an extent yes!!!
i) nayakas of madhurai etc…
ii) raghavendra swamiji of the now famous raghavendra swamy mutt, was from a kannada speaking family of tanjavur,
iii) the senior swamy of kanchi kamakoti peetam, ‘periyava’ was from a kannada speaking family,
iv) e v ramasamy nayakar, the ‘periyar’ was of kannada/telagu origins.
v) many swamies of vyasaraja and uttaradhi mutts are interred along kaveri and their brindavanas are a source of piligrimages today.
vi) there is a thriving kannada speaking community along kaveri.
vii) latest are film stars kokila mohan, rajanikanth, janaki mgr, nagesh, ….
viii) sangeetha hotel, woodlands hotel…

VijayVan
20 days ago

Jalalalitha was Tamil speaking iyengar who migrated from Srirangam to Mysore. Once in a Bangalore shooting, she was surrounded by Kannada chavinists and asked her to declare her mother tongue hoping it would be kannada. She said Tamil.

VijayVan
VijayVan
19 days ago

No. Iyengars have spread all over South India. Though fluent and making stunning contributions to the local language, somewhere there is some unforgotten umblical connection to Tamil. Partly coz Tmil sacral works of their sect is part of religious traditions.

VijayVan
20 days ago

Liguistically, Telugu’s musicality, rooted in its vowel endings, verb transformations, multiple registers, and vowel harmony,are applicable to Tamil also. However socio-linguistically a Purism has been a dominant theme in Tamil which has stunted Tamil IMHO. While Telugu and Malayalam has accepted Sanskrit and Prakrit borrowings with open arms, Tamil is more reserved on that. Tamils don’t know many Parkrit words as of Prakrit origin, so no problem with that. Ignorance is bliss. But Sanskrit words raise the ire of Purists with little linguistic effect but more political effect. Tamil is also agglunative language , which makes it good for rap. The Dravdian political syndrome partly stands on this sociopolitical bees in the bonnet. As other south indian languages don’t suffer from this bee in the bonnet , they have politely rejected dravidian movement.

VijayVan
VijayVan
19 days ago

Day to day Tamil is no more conservative than other languages. However how it is cast by tamil grammarians makes it look conservative. Nothing to do with EVR aka Periyar. Last recieved Tamil grammar was written in 13th C. Ppl still refer to that though language itself has moved on. Like trying to understand modern English with a grammar book from Chaucer’s period. That gives rise to lot of diglossia.
To EVR’s credit, he thought very little of ancient Tamil or grammarians though his motivations were not linguistic, but caste. He called Tamil a Barbarian language. He thought ancient tamil books were too Brahminical, too Aryan, which they were- hence must be rejected.

Brown Pundits
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