Tulu script added to Unicode

Mangaluru

The Tulu script has been added to Unicode, marking a significant achievement despite Tulu not being recognized as an official language of Karnataka or included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. The script is now part of the 16th edition of Unicode, which includes 80 alphabets. This inclusion follows the addition of the Tulu language to Google Translate and the launch of Tulu Wikipedia.

With the Tulu script now available on Unicode, its use in technologies such as Natural Language Processing, Text-to-Speech, Speech-to-Text, and Artificial Intelligence is now possible. Google already offers English-to-Tulu translation, and more applications are anticipated with the script's inclusion in Unicode.

Tulu Wikipedia was established on August 6, 2016. In 2017, a committee from the Tulu Sahitya Academy worked to finalize the Tulu alphabets with advice from IT experts. A proposal for the Tigalari script was also submitted and after discussions, the Tulu-Tigalari script was added to Unicode.

It was noted that although the Unicode version of the Tulu-Tigalari script has minor differences from the Tulu Sahitya Academy's proposal, most letters are included. The inclusion of the Tulu script in Unicode is seen as a major step for the Tulu community and is considered a long-awaited achievement for the Tulu Sahitya Academy and Tuluvas.