Madurai Tamil is the dialect

Dialect

The term dialect is used in two distinct ways, even by linguists. One usage refers to a variety of a language that is a characteristic of a particular group of the language's speakers. The term is applied most often to regional speech patterns, but a dialect may also be defined by other factors,...

 spoken in the city of Madurai

Madurai

Madurai is the third largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It served as the capital city of the Pandyan Kingdom. It is the administrative headquarters of Madurai District and is famous for its temples built by Pandyan and...

 and over a vast geographical area of South Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...

, the area once ruled by the Pandiya Kings. It differs substantially from Nellai Tamil

Nellai Tamil

Nellai Tamil, also known as Tirunelveli Tamil, is one of the dialects of Tamil which is spoken in the districts of Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi as well as over the vast area of south Tamil Nadu which was once ruled by the Pandiya Kings. Nellai Tamil is also known as Thenpaandi Tamil...

, a region which was also part of the Pandiya domain.

Region of Madurai Tamil

• Madurai
  Madurai
  Madurai is the third largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It served as the capital city of the Pandyan Kingdom. It is the administrative headquarters of Madurai District and is famous for its temples built by Pandyan and...
  
  
• Aruppukottai
• Virudunagar
• Melur
  Melur
  Melur is a town and a municipality in the Madurai district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Melur is called Thaikramam . It is the biggest taluk within the Madurai District....
  
  
• Usilampatti
  Usilampatti
  Usilampatti is a Town and a municipality in Madurai district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is one of the comparatively rich towns of Tamil Nadu.-Geography:...
  
  
• Paramakudi
  Paramakudi
  Paramakudi is a town, a municipality in Ramanathapuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The river Vaigai flows through Paramakudi on its way to the Bay of Bengal.-Demographics and location:...
  
  
• Dindigul
  Dindigul
  Dindigul is a town and municipality in the Tamil Nadu state of southern India. The name Dindigul comes from the Portmanteau of “Thindu” meaning pillow and “kal” meaning Rock and refers to the bare hill dominating the city’s both land and skyscape...
  
  
• Theni
  Theni
  Theni is a town in the Western Tamil Nadu state of South India. It is the headquarters of Theni District. It is known for the large-scale trading of Cardamom, Cotton, Grapes, chilli and Textiles. It hosts the second largest weekly market in Tamil Nadu and the fourth largest in South India...
  
  
• Ramanathapuram
  Ramanathapuram
  Ramanathapuram , also known as Ramnad, is a city and a municipality in Ramanathapuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the administrative headquarters of Ramanathapuram district.-Tourism:...
  
  
• Sivagangai
• Natham
  Natham
  Natham is a panchayat town in Dindigul district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.-Demographics: India census, Natham had a population of 22,533. Males constitute 50% of the population and females 50%. Natham has an average literacy rate of 40%, lesser than the national average of 59.5%: male...
  
  

The common dialect has made the term Madurai refer to a much larger area than it actually is. It is not uncommon for people from any of the above cities to introduce themselves as people of Madurai.