The earliest known inscriptions containing Telugu words appear on coins that date back to 400 BC. The origins of the Telugu alphabet can be traced by to the Brahmi alphabet of ancient India, which developed into an alphabet used for both Telugu and Kannada, which in turn split into two separate alphabets between the 12th and 15th centuries AD. There are three major dialects of Telugu: the Coastal dialect, which is spoken on the coast of Andhra Pradesh, the Rayalaseema dialect, which is spoken in the Rayalaseema districts of Andhra Pradesh, and the Telangana dialect, which spoken mainly in Telangana. It is also a recognised minority language in South Africa. Telugu is one of the 22 official languages of India, and a statutory provincial language in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, in the Yanam district of The Puducherry Union Territory, and in the Andaman and Nicobar islands.
