In 1883, the dialect was described by James Campbell in the Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency, where it was said to be Kannada spoken with a strong Malayalam influence.

However, this theory is not true as it does not explain the lack of Malayalam influence on other languages and Kannada dialects spoken along the Kanara coast.

In some parts of Uttara Kannada, especially in Gokarna, where there is a high concentration of Havyaka Brahmin priests, a Marathi influence has been observed in terms of vocabulary: āi for "mother", pyele for "drinking glass", etc.

This might be because of the patronage of Marathi clients who regularly come to Gokarna to have their religious rituals performed by Havyaka priests.

In these districts, it is common in places where there is a higher density of Havyakas in relation to other places, such as Thirthahalli, Shivamogga, Sagara and Hosanagara in Shivamogga, Sirsi, Yellapur, Siddapura, Honnavar, Kumta, Bhatkal, in Uttara Kannada and Puttur in Dakshina Kannada.

Havigannada was partly used in Sandalwood films: Bettada Jeeva, Nammoora Mandara Hoove and Naayi Neralu, which was shot in and around Yana.