Cholanaikkan (IPA: [t͡ʃoːlɐnaːjkːɐn]) is Southern a Dravidian language spoken by the Cholanaikkan people in the hilly forests of the Nilambur Valley of Malappuram district of Kerala. They are largely a primitive hill tribe living in rock shelters near rivers in the valley. Some linguists believe the language to be distinct and that considering it an admixture of Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada is erroneous.