Secondly, within the Kodava-speaking communities and region (Kodagu), it is a demonym for the dominant Kodava people.

Now it is considered as an intermediate language between Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, and Tulu in comparative linguistics.

[7][8] The 2011 Census of India reports 96,918 persons who returned Kodava as their mother tongue and 16,939 who returned Coorgi/Kodagu, for a total of 113,857 persons coming under the parent group which is again identified as Coorgi/Kodagu (another name for Kodava) as the mother tongue.

However, Kodava has two more: the mid and high (close) back unrounded vowels, with corresponding long variants.

[13] Kodava and Kannada share a lack of palatalization of word-initial *k-, which is a feature found in the Tamil-Malayalam branch.

The new script is intended as a unified writing system for all Kodava Takk speakers.

[20] Various other scripts were made by Kodava writers like Iychettira M Muthanna, Koravanda Appayya, Appaneravanda Kiran Subbaiah.

Family histories, rituals and other records were scripted on palm leaves called Pattole (patt=palm, ole=leaf) by astrologers in the ancient times.

Appachcha Kavi, a playwright, and Nadikerianda Chinnappa, a folk compiler, are the two important poets and writers of the Kodava language.

[23] The Pattole Palame, a collection of Kodava folksongs and traditions compiled in the early 1900s by Nadikerianda Chinnappa, was first published in 1924.

Nearly two-thirds of the book consists of folksongs that were handed down orally through generations, sung even today during marriage and death ceremonies and during festivals relating to the seasons and in honour of local deities and heroes.

Traditionally known as Balo Pat, these songs are sung by four men who beat dudis (drums) as they sing.

The first Kodava film 'Nada Mann Nada Kool' was directed by S.R.Rajan and produced in the year 1972.