Tamil (/ˈtæmɪl/; தமிழ் Tamiḻ [t̪amiɻ], About this soundpronunciation (help·info)) is a Dravidian emphasis natively appear by the Tamil bodies of India and Sri Lanka. Tamil is the official emphasis of the South Indian accompaniment of Tamil Nadu, as able-bodied as two absolute states, Sri Lanka and Singapore.[10][11] In India, it is additionally the official emphasis of the Abutment Territory of Puducherry. Tamil is appear by cogent minorities in the four added South Indian states of Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana and the Abutment Territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. It is additionally appear by the Tamil banishment begin in abounding countries, including Malaysia, South Africa, United Kingdom, United States, Canada, and Australia. Tamil is additionally appear by Sri Lankan Moors.
One of 22 appointed languages in the Architecture of India, Tamil was the aboriginal to be classified as a classical emphasis of India and is one of the longest-surviving classical languages in the world.[12][13][14] A. K. Ramanujan declared it as "the alone emphasis of abreast India which is acutely connected with a classical past."[15] The array and affection of classical Tamil abstract has led to it actuality declared as "one of the abundant classical traditions and literatures of the world".[16]
A recorded Tamil abstract has been accurate for over 2000 years.[17] The age-old aeon of Tamil literature, Sangam literature, is anachronous from ca. 300 BC – AD 300.[18][19] It has the oldest actual abstract amid Dravidian languages.[13] The age-old epigraphic annal begin on bedrock edicts and 'hero stones' date from about the 3rd aeon BC.[20][21] Added than 55% of the epigraphical inscriptions (about 55,000) begin by the Archaeological Analysis of India are in the Tamil language.[22] Tamil emphasis inscriptions accounting in Brahmi calligraphy accept been apparent in Sri Lanka and on barter appurtenances in Thailand and Egypt.[23][24] The two age-old manuscripts from India,[25][26] accustomed and registered by the UNESCO Memory of the Apple annals in 1997 and 2005, were accounting in Tamil.[27]
In 1578, Portuguese Christian missionaries appear a Tamil adoration book in old Tamil calligraphy alleged Thambiran Vanakkam, appropriately authoritative Tamil the aboriginal Indian emphasis to be printed and published.[28] The Tamil Lexicon, appear by the University of Madras, was one of the age-old dictionaries appear in the Indian languages.[29] According to a 2001 survey, there were 1,863 newspapers appear in Tamil, of which 353 were dailies.[30]
Tamil belongs to the southern annex of the Dravidian languages, a ancestors of about 26 languages built-in to the Indian subcontinent.[31] It is additionally classified as actuality allotment of a Tamil emphasis ancestors that, alongside Tamil proper, includes the languages of about 35 ethno-linguistic groups[32] such as the Irula and Yerukula languages (see SIL Ethnologue).
The abutting aloft about of Tamil is Malayalam; the two began deviating about the 9th aeon AD.[33] Although abounding of the differences amid Tamil and Malayalam authenticate a pre-historic breach of the western dialect,[34] the activity of break into a audible language, Malayalam, was not completed until age-old in the 13th or 14th century.[
History
Tamil inscriptions on a colonnade in a ample temple
According to linguists like Bhadriraju Krishnamurti, Tamil, as a Dravidian language, descends from Proto-Dravidian, a proto-language. Linguistic about-face suggests that Proto-Dravidian was appear about the third millennium BC, possibly in the arena about the lower Godavari river basin in peninsular India. The actual affirmation suggests that the speakers of Proto-Dravidian were of the ability associated with the Neolithic complexes of South India.[36] The age-old epigraphic attestations of Tamil are about taken to accept been accounting from the 2nd aeon BC.[37]
Among Indian languages, Tamil has the best age-old non-Sanskritic Indian literature.[38] Scholars categorise the accurate history of the emphasis into three periods: Old Tamil (300 BC–AD 700), Middle Tamil (700–1600) and Avant-garde Tamil (1600–present).[39] In November 2007, an blasting at Quseir-al-Qadim appear Egyptian ceramics dating aback to aboriginal aeon BC with age-old Tamil Brahmi inscriptions.[23] John Guy states that Tamil was the lingua franca for aboriginal amphibian traders from India.[40]
Legend
Mangulam Tamil Brahmi inscription in Mangulam, Madurai district, Tamil Nadu, anachronous to Tamil Sangam aeon (c. 400 BC to c. 200 AD)
Explanation for Mangulam Tamil Brahmi inscription in Mangulam, Madurai district, Tamil Nadu, anachronous to Tamil Sangam aeon (c. 400 BC to c. 200 AD)
Tamil Brahmi calligraphy in the about-face ancillary of the bilingual argent bread of baron Vashishtiputra Sātakarni (c. AD 160) of Deccan. Rev: Ujjain/Sātavāhana symbol, crescented six-arch chaitya acropolis and river with Tamil Brahmi script[41][42][43][44] Obv: Bust of king; Prakrit fable in the Brahmi script
According to Hindu legend, Tamil or in clothing anatomy Tamil Thāi (Mother Tamil) was created by Aristocrat Shiva. Murugan, admired as the Tamil God, forth with academician Agastya, brought it to the people.[45]
Etymology
The age-old actual Tamil arcane works and their commentaries bless the Pandiyan Kings for the alignment of long-termed Tamil Sangams, which researched, developed and fabricated amendments in Tamil language. Alike admitting the name of the emphasis which was developed by these Tamil Sangams is mentioned as Tamil, the aeon back the name "Tamil" came to be activated to the emphasis is unclear, as is the absolute ancestry of the name. The age-old accurate use of the name is begin in Tholkappiyam, which is anachronous as aboriginal as backward 2nd aeon BC.[46][47]
The Samavayanga Sutra anachronous to the 3rd aeon BC contains a advertence to a Tamil calligraphy alleged 'Damili'.[48]
Southworth suggests that the name comes from tam-miḻ > tam-iḻ "self-speak", or "one's own speech".[49] Kamil Zvelebil suggests an ancestry of tam-iḻ, with tam acceptation "self" or "one's self", and "-iḻ" accepting the association of "unfolding sound". Alternatively, he suggests a ancestry of tamiḻ < tam-iḻ < *tav-iḻ < *tak-iḻ, acceptation in agent "the able activity (of speaking)".[50]
The Tamil Lexicon of University of Madras defines the chat "Tamil" as "sweetness".[51] S. V. Subramanian suggests the acceptation "sweet sound", from tam — "sweet" and il — "sound".[52]
Old Tamil
Main article: Old Tamil language
Old Tamil is the aeon of the Tamil emphasis spanning the 3rd aeon BC to the 8th aeon AD. The age-old annal in Old Tamil are abbreviate inscriptions from amid the 3rd and 2nd aeon BC in caves and on pottery. These inscriptions are accounting in a alternative of the Brahmi calligraphy alleged Tamil-Brahmi.[53] The age-old continued altercation in Old Tamil is the Tolkāppiyam, an aboriginal assignment on Tamil grammar and poetics, whose oldest layers could be as old as the backward 2nd aeon BC.[39][54] Abounding arcane works in Old Tamil accept additionally survived. These accommodate a bulk of 2,381 balladry collectively accepted as Sangam literature. These balladry are usually anachronous to amid the 1st aeon BC and 5th aeon AD.[39][55]
Middle Tamil
Main article: Middle Tamil language
Tamil inscriptions in Vatteluttu calligraphy in bean during Chola aeon c.1000 AD at Brahadeeswara temple in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu.
The change of Old Tamil into Middle Tamil, which is about taken to accept been completed by the 8th century,[39] was characterised by a cardinal of phonological and grammatical changes. In phonological terms, the best important accouterment were the basic dematerialization of the aytam (ஃ), an old phoneme,[56] the array of the alveolar and dental nasals,[57] and the transformation of the alveolar affricate into a rhotic.[58] In grammar, the best important change was the actualization of the present tense. The present close acquired out of the verb kil (கில்), acceptation "to be possible" or "to befall". In Old Tamil, this verb was acclimated as an aspect brand to announce that an activity was micro-durative, non-sustained or non-lasting, usually in aggregate with a time brand such as ṉ (ன்). In Middle Tamil, this acceptance acquired into a present close brand – kiṉṟa (கின்ற) – which accumulated the old aspect and time markers.[59]
Modern Tamil
The Nannul charcoal the accepted normative grammar for avant-garde arcane Tamil, which accordingly continues to be based on Middle Tamil of the 13th aeon rather than on Avant-garde Tamil.[60] Chatty appear Tamil, in contrast, shows a cardinal of changes. The abrogating alliance of verbs, for example, has collapsed out of use in Avant-garde Tamil[61] – instead, antithesis is bidding either morphologically or syntactically.[62] Avant-garde appear Tamil additionally shows a cardinal of complete changes, in particular, a addiction to lower aerial vowels in antecedent and centermost positions,[63] and the dematerialization of vowels amid plosives and amid a affricate and rhotic.[64]
Contact with European languages afflicted accounting and appear Tamil. Changes in accounting Tamil accommodate the use of European-style punctuation and the use of accordant clusters that were not acceptable in Middle Tamil. The syntax of accounting Tamil has additionally changed, with the accession of new aspectual auxiliaries and added circuitous book structures, and with the actualization of a added adamant chat adjustment that resembles the syntactic altercation anatomy of English.[65] Simultaneously, a able ache of linguistic delicacy emerged in the aboriginal 20th century, culminating in the Pure Tamil Movement which alleged for abatement of all Sanskritic elements from Tamil.[66] It accustomed some abutment from Dravidian parties.[67] This led to the backup of a cogent cardinal of Sanskrit loanwords by Tamil equivalents, admitting abounding others remain.[68]
Geographic distribution
Tamil is the primary emphasis of the majority of the bodies residing in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, (in India) and in Arctic Province, Eastern Arena (Sri Lanka). The emphasis is appear amid baby boyhood groups in added states of India which accommodate Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Maharashtra and in assertive regions of Sri Lanka such as Colombo and the acropolis country. Tamil or dialects of it were acclimated broadly in the accompaniment of Kerala as the aloft emphasis of administration, abstract and accepted acceptance until the 12th aeon AD. Tamil was additionally acclimated broadly in inscriptions begin in southern Andhra Pradesh districts of Chittoor and Nellore until the 12th aeon AD.[69] Tamil was acclimated for inscriptions from the 10th through 14th centuries in southern Karnataka districts such as Kolar, Mysore, Mandya and Bangalore.[70]
There are currently abundant Tamil-speaking populations descended from colonial-era migrants in Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, Mauritius, South Africa, Indonesia,[71] Thailand,[72] Burma, and Vietnam. Tamil is acclimated as one of the languages of apprenticeship in Malaysia, forth with English, Malay and Mandarin.[73][74] A ample association of Pakistani Tamils speakers exists in Karachi, Pakistan, which includes Tamil-speaking Hindus[75][76] as able-bodied as Christians and Muslims – including some Tamil-speaking Muslim refugees from Sri Lanka.[77] There are about 100 Tamil Hindu families in Madrasi Para antecedents in Karachi .They allege categorical Tamil forth with Urdu, Punjabi and Sindhi.[78] Abounding in Réunion, Guyana, Fiji, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago accept Tamil origins,[79] but alone a baby cardinal allege the language. In Reunion breadth the Tamil emphasis was banned to be learnt and acclimated in accessible amplitude by France it is now actuality relearnt by acceptance and adults.[80] Tamil is additionally appear by migrants from Sri Lanka and India in Canada, the United States (especially New Jersey and New York City), Australia, the United Kingdom, South Africa, and abounding added European and Middle Eastern countries.
Tamil is the official emphasis of the Indian accompaniment of Tamil Nadu and one of the 22 languages beneath agenda 8 of the architecture of India. It is one of the official languages of the abutment territories of Puducherry and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.[81][82] Tamil is additionally one of the official languages of Singapore. Tamil is one of the official and civic languages of Sri Lanka, forth with Sinhala.[10] It was already accustomed nominal official cachet in the Indian accompaniment of Haryana, purportedly as a brushoff to Punjab, admitting there was no accurate Tamil-speaking citizenry in the state, and was after replaced by Punjabi, in 2010.[83] In Malaysia, 543 primary apprenticeship government schools are accessible absolutely in Tamil medium.[84] The enactment of Tamil average schools has been in activity in Myanmar to accommodate apprenticeship absolutely in Tamil emphasis by the Tamils who acclimatized there 200 years ago.[85] Tamil emphasis is accessible as a advance in some bounded academy boards and aloft universities in Canada and the ages of January has been declared "Tamil Heritage Month" by the Parliament of Canada.[86][87] Tamil enjoys a appropriate cachet of aegis beneath Article 6(b), Chapter 1 of the Architecture of South Africa and is accomplished as a accountable in schools in KwaZulu-Natal province.[88][89] Recently, it has been formed out as a accountable of abstraction in schools in the French across administration of Réunion.[90]
In addition, with the conception in October 2004 of a acknowledged cachet for classical languages by the Government of India and afterward a political attack accurate by several Tamil associations,[91][92] Tamil became the aboriginal accurately recognised Classical emphasis of India. The acceptance was appear by the ancillary President of India, Abdul Kalam, in a collective sitting of both houses of the Indian Parliament on 6 June 2004.[93][94][95]
Region-specific variations
The socio-linguistic bearings of Tamil is characterised by diglossia: there are two abstracted registers capricious by socioeconomic status, a aerial annals and a low one.[96][97] Tamil dialects are primarily differentiated from anniversary added by the actuality that they accept undergone altered phonological changes and complete accouterment in evolving from Old Tamil. For example, the chat for "here"—iṅku in Centamil (the archetypal variety)—has acquired into iṅkū in the Kongu emphasis of Coimbatore, inga in the emphasis of Thanjavur, and iṅkai in some dialects of Sri Lanka. Old Tamil's iṅkaṇ (where kaṇ agency place) is the antecedent of iṅkane in the emphasis of Tirunelveli, Old Tamil iṅkiṭṭu is the antecedent of iṅkuṭṭu in the emphasis of Madurai, and iṅkaṭe in some arctic dialects. Alike now, in the Coimbatore area, it is accepted to apprehend "akkaṭṭa" acceptation "that place". Although Tamil dialects do not alter decidedly in their vocabulary, there are a few exceptions. The dialects appear in Sri Lanka absorb abounding words and grammatical forms that are not in accustomed use in India,[39][98] and use abounding added words hardly differently.[99] Tamil dialects accommodate Central Tamil dialect, Kongu Tamil, Madras Bashai, Madurai Tamil, Nellai Tamil, Kumari tamil in India and Batticaloa Tamil dialect, Jaffna Tamil dialect, Negombo Tamil emphasis in Sri Lanka. Sankethi emphasis in Karnataka has been heavily afflicted by Kannada.
Loanword variations
See also: Indo-Aryan loanwords in Tamil and Accommodation words in Sri Lankan Tamil
The emphasis of the commune of Palakkad in Kerala has abounding Malayalam loanwords, has been afflicted by Malayalam's syntax, and has a characteristic Malayalam accent. Similarly, Tamil appear in Kanyakumari Commune has added altered words and phonetic appearance than Tamil appear at added genitalia of Tamil Nadu. The words and phonetics are so altered that a being from Kanyakumari commune is calmly identifiable by their appear Tamil. Hebbar and Mandyam dialects, appear by groups of Tamil Vaishnavites who migrated to Karnataka in the 11th century, absorb abounding appearance of the Vaishnava paribasai, a appropriate anatomy of Tamil developed in the 9th and 10th centuries that reflect Vaishnavite religious and airy values.[100] Several castes accept their own sociolects which best associates of that degree commonly acclimated behindhand of breadth they appear from. It is about accessible to analyze a person's degree by their speech.[101] Tamil in Sri Lanka incorporates accommodation words from Portuguese, Dutch, and English.
Spoken and arcane variants
Thiruppugazh – Umbartharu – Hamsadhwani
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Literary Tamil in aria 'Umbartharu' (Hamsadhwani) on aristocrat Ganesha from Thiruppugazh (c. 1400s).
Sivagnanam's 'Arivuk kadhaigal'.
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Literary Tamil pronunciation. Reading an extract from Ma. Po. Si.'s book 'Arivuk kadhaigal' (1900s).
Bharathi's 'Senthamil nadu ennum' song
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Literary Tamil accentuation in song accounting by Subramanya Bharathi, 'Senthamizh naadennum pothinile' (1900s ).
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In accession to its dialects, Tamil exhibits altered forms: a classical arcane appearance modelled on the age-old emphasis (sankattamiḻ), a avant-garde arcane and academic appearance (centamiḻ), and a avant-garde chatty anatomy (koṭuntamiḻ). These styles adumbration into anniversary other, basic a stylistic continuum. For example, it is accessible to address centamiḻ with a cant fatigued from caṅkattamiḻ, or to use forms associated with one of the added variants while speaking koṭuntamiḻ.[102]
In avant-garde times, centamiḻ is about acclimated in academic autograph and speech. For instance, it is the emphasis of textbooks, of abundant of Tamil abstract and of accessible speaking and debate. In contempo times, however, koṭuntamiḻ has been authoritative appropriate into areas that accept commonly been advised the arena of centamiḻ. Best abreast cinema, theatre and accepted ball on television and radio, for example, is in koṭuntamiḻ, and abounding politicians use it to accompany themselves afterpiece to their audience. The accretion use of koṭuntamiḻ in avant-garde times has led to the actualization of actionable ‘standard' appear dialects. In India, the ‘standard' koṭuntamiḻ, rather than on any one dialect,[103] but has been decidedly afflicted by the dialects of Thanjavur and Madurai. In Sri Lanka, the accepted is based on the emphasis of Jaffna.
Writing system
Main articles: Tamil calligraphy and Tamil braille
See also: Vatteluttu, Grantha script, Pallava script, and Arwi
Historical change of Tamil autograph from the beforehand Tamil Brahmi abreast the top to the accepted Tamil calligraphy at bottom.
Thirukkural approach blade manuscript.
After Tamil Brahmi fell out of use, Tamil was accounting application a calligraphy alleged vaṭṭeḻuttu amidst others such as Grantha and Pallava. The accepted Tamil calligraphy consists of 12 vowels, 18 consonants and one appropriate character, the āytam. The vowels and consonants amalgamate to anatomy 216 admixture characters, giving a absolute of 247 characters (12 + 18 + 1 + (12 x 18)). All consonants accept an inherent beat a, as with added Indic scripts. This inherent beat is removed by abacus a tittle alleged a puḷḷi, to the consonantal sign. For example, ன is ṉa (with the inherent a) and ன் is ṉ (without a vowel). Abounding Indic scripts accept a agnate sign, generically alleged virama, but the Tamil calligraphy is somewhat altered in that it about consistently uses a arresting puḷḷi to announce a 'dead consonant' (a accordant after a vowel). In added Indic scripts, it is about adopted to use a band or a bisected anatomy to address a affricate or a array absolute a asleep consonant, although autograph it with a arresting virama is additionally possible. The Tamil calligraphy does not differentiate accurate and blurred plosives. Instead, plosives are articulate with articulation depending on their position in a word, in accordance with the rules of Tamil phonology.
In accession to the accepted characters, six characters taken from the Grantha script, which was acclimated in the Tamil arena to address Sanskrit, are sometimes acclimated to represent sounds not built-in to Tamil, that is, words adopted from Sanskrit, Prakrit and added languages. The acceptable arrangement assigned by classical grammars for autograph loan-words, which involves respelling them in accordance with Tamil phonology, remains, but is not consistently consistently applied.[104] ISO 15919 is an all-embracing accepted for the adaptation of Tamil and added Indic scripts into Latin characters. It uses diacritics to map the abundant beyond set of Brahmic consonants and vowels to the Latin script. Tamil can be transliterated into English by application ISO 15919, back English emphasis uses the Latin calligraphy for writing.
Numerals and symbols
Main article: Tamil numerals
Apart from the accepted numerals, Tamil has numerals for 10, 100 and 1000. Symbols for day, month, year, debit, credit, as above, rupee, and appearance are present as well. Tamil additionally uses several actual apportioned signs.
zero one two three four five six seven eight nine ten hundred thousand
௦ ௧ ௨ ௩ ௪ ௫ ௬ ௭ ௮ ௯ ௰ ௱ ௲
day month year debit credit as above rupee numeral
௳ ௴ ௵ ௶ ௷ ௸ ௹ ௺
Consonants
Tamil consonants are presented as hard, bendable and centermost in some grammars which almost corresponds to plosives, nasals and approximants. Unlike best Indian languages, Tamil does not analyze aspirated and unaspirated consonants. In addition, the delivery of plosives is absolute by austere rules in centamiḻ. Plosives are blurred if they action word-initially or doubled. Elsewhere they are voiced, with a few acceptable fricatives intervocalically, which agency that delivery is not a phonological affection for plosives. Nasals and approximants are consistently voiced.[106]
Tamil is characterised by its use of added than one blazon of chaplet consonants: like abounding of the added languages of India, it contains a alternation of retroflex consonants. Notably, the Tamil retroflex alternation includes the retroflex approximant /ɻ/ (ழ) (example Tamil; about transcribed 'zh'), which is attenuate in the Indo-Aryan languages. Amid the added Dravidian languages, the retroflex approximant additionally occurs in Malayalam (for archetype in 'Kozhikode'), abolished from appear Kannada about 1000 AD (although the appearance is still written, and exists in Unicode, ೞ as in ಕೊೞೆ), and was never present in Telugu. In some dialects of chatty Tamil, this accordant is apparent as dematerialization and alive to the alveolar crabbed approximant /l/.[107] Dental and alveolar consonants additionally historically assorted with anniversary other, a about Dravidian affection not begin in the neighbouring Indo-Aryan languages. While this acumen can still be apparent in the accounting language, it has been abundantly absent in chatty appear Tamil, and alike in arcane acceptance the belletrist ந (dental) and ன (alveolar) may be apparent as allophonic.[108] Likewise, the actual alveolar stop has adapted into a dental stop in abounding avant-garde dialects.
