This is an excerpt taken from Discover Bangalore Website –
http://www.discoverbangalore.com/kannada.htm
Printing it again to make folks aware of the history of Kannada language while refreshing my history facts :)
Kannada is one of the 22 official languages of India and is the official language of the state of Karnataka. Kannada is Unique in a few aspects.
1] The first encyclopedia was written in Kannada. This was later translated to Sanskrit under name Shivatatvaratnakara.
2] Kannada is the third oldest language of India. (After Sanskrit & Tamil)
3] Kannada is as old as 2000 years.
4] Kannada is 99.99% perfect - logically and scientifically.
5] Kannada writers got 7 Gnana Peetha Awards - highest among all languages .
6] Shri VINOBA BHAVE has called Kannada script as QUEEN OF WORLD SCRIPTS - " Vishwa lipigaLa RaaNi - kannada "
7]Kannada is phonetic - you write as you speak
8] When " kaviraja maarga was written . . ." kaaveriyimda , gOdaavarivaregirpa ... " by Amogha varsha nripathumga, English was in cradle & hindi was not born at all.
9] Kannada is the one of the first indian languages for which a foreigner(Rev. Ferdinand Kittel) wrote a dictionary ( Shabda Kosha) in the year 1894.
10] Ragale Saahithya can be seen only in Kannada which is of a rare and different kind of literature.
11] Kannada Chandassu (shatpadis) out pared all other languages.
