The Dravidian language family is a group of languages primarily spoken in southern India and parts of northeastern Sri Lanka. It includes major languages such as Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam. These languages share common linguistic features and have a rich literary tradition, with Tamil being one of the oldest continuously spoken languages in the world. Dravidian languages are distinct from the Indo-Aryan languages, which dominate northern India. They are characterized by their unique phonetics, grammar, and vocabulary. The family is believed to have originated in the Indian subcontinent, and its speakers have a significant cultural and historical presence in the region.