A HANDBOOK OF THE TAMIL LANGUAGE REV. G. U. POPE, M.A., D.D. anpad amads aaa gpib ‘Difficuies will vamsn as you learn on. —PROV, Asian Educational Services New Delhi, 1979Price : Rs. 95 AES Reprint : 1979 Prinied in India Published by J. Jetley For ASIAN EDUCATIONAL SERVICES )QQSS3D 4. New Dethi-110 016 inQelby 4. K. Process ixe Oilsct Press, Dethi-110.035PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION No apology is necessary for offering to the Tamil student a book which has leng been wanted. In regard to the imperfections which detract from 118 value, the writer can only say, he has done what he could. He has tried to state the racts of this noble language suc- cinctly and clearly. *he examples, with few exceptions, have been selected from books in universal use in the Tamil country. Should a second edition be published, these examples will be considerably increased in number. No work can remove from the elements of a language like Tamil all that may embarrass the learner. There are difficulties in it which must be met bravely; but there are, certainly, none which a very moderate degree of attention will not enable any one, however unpractised in such studies, to overcome. The following hints may be of use to those who use this book :— 1. Do not preceed: too quickly: An entirely new language requires great accuracy in the mastering ofits elements. 2. Write down everything from the very beginning. Read always with pen, or pencil, in hand. 3. Read aloud all the exercises with a Tamil teacher ; and be very careful in ascertaining the correctness of what you have written, ~ 4, At first, whenever you meet with a new word, look for it in the Vocabulary, and decline or conjugate it in full. 5. Begin to talk—though with stammering lips—as soon as pos- sible—the very first day. Never speak English toa native if you can help it. Why say ‘salt,’ when you can say ‘ern’? Do not be afraid of making mistakes. 6. Be very careful in noting down differences in idiom, between Tamil and your own language. If you hear much Christian or Cutcherry Tamil, beware of thinking all you hear to be really Tamil. Try to cultivate a Tamil ear, so as to detect an unidiomatic expres- sion, as you would a false note in music. You should understand all you hear: you need not #se any expression that is not good Z< amil. This littie work has been written with a deep feeling of the vast importance of the acquisition by ALL who sojourn in the land, of the language of the people among whom they dwell. Two hours a day for a year will enable most people to converse freely on ordinary topics with those around them. . . It is proposed in due time to publish a second part? in which the poetry of the language will be illustrated. 1 See Tamil Poetical Aniholgy ond Third Grammariv PREFACE The author Would scarcely have ventured to publish, in this country, a book ‘requiring such peculiar attention to accuracy in type and arrangement, had he not been zealously seconded by Mr. P. R. Hunt, the able superintendent of the American Mission Press, to whose efforts to improve Tamil typography afi who use the language are indebted. The earnest wish and prayer of the writer js that his efforts may tend, in however small a degree, to facilitate fee intercourse between Hindis and their brethren from the West, and so aid in the impar- tation to the former, of all that God has bestowed upon the latter Tanjore Mission House, October 5th, 1855. PREFACE TO THE SEVENTH EDITION Tuis work, originally published in 1855, has been reprinted many times, and in various forms, during the half-century of its existence. The author has had the opportunity of consulting with very many who have used it both as teachers and as scholars. In October, 1885, the author was appointed University Teacher of Tamil and Telugu in Oxford, and as the Handbook is the text- book prescribed for the young civilians appointed to Madras, he has had peculiarly favourable opportunities of testing its usefulness and ascertaining its deficiencies, The result of nearly twenty years’ teaching is embodied in this final edition. It is hoped that nothing of importance has been overlooked. The advice given in the Preface to the first edition is precisely what requires to be urged now upon every student of Tamil, Here, as elsewhere, Festina lente, is a good motto. The author is under especial obligations to many kind friends who have rendered assistance in the preparation of this edition, Especial thanks are due to the Secretary of State for India for assistance towards the publication. Mr. Pembrey, as on former occasions, has with great patience and skill helped to issue what it is believed will prove to be, in regard to typography, one of the correctest works in a foreign character ever issued from the English Press, G. U. POPE. OXFORD, January, 1904.A TAMIL HANDBOOK INTRODUCTION. §1. THe TamiL LANGUAGE IN GENERAL. 1. Phe Tamil (sup, Skt. Dravida) is the vernacular speech of about thirteen millions of people, inhabiting the great plain of the Carnatic. The limits within which it prevails are thus defined in the Manuil (a standard native grammar): ‘ The eastern boundary is the eastern sea (the Bay of Bengal), the southern boundary _ is Cape Comorin, the western boundaty is the west sea, the northern boundary is Vengadam (or Tripety, a town about eighty miles north-west of Madras, nearly on the same parallel with Pulicat).’ Here the western boundary from Comorin [ou] to Trivandrum [Sgaeésyoe] is correctly stated, ‘but from Trivandrum northward the Tamil country is confined to the-eastern side of the Ghats, The Tamil region thus includes a portion of South Travancore, the entire Zillahs of Tinevelly, Madura (including the dominions of the Tondiman Raja), Trichi- nopoly, Coimbatore, a great part of Salem and of North Arcot, with the whole of South Arcot and Chingleput. North Ceylon also is a Tamil Colony, Tamil communities are to be found in most of the British cantonments in the Dekkan, and in various colonies of the Empire. 2. The principal languages cognate to Tamil are the Telugu, the Kanarese or Kannadi, and the Malayalam. The Telugu is bounded on the north by the Uriya (beginning with the district of Ganjam), on the north-west by the Marathi, on the south-west by the Kanarese, and on the south by the Tamil. It differs from the Tamil more widely than do the other cognate dialects. "The Kanarese is the language of the table-land of Mysvre, of part of the Nizam’s territory, and of a part of Kanara. The Malayalam is spoken on the western side ofthe Malaya mountains from Mangalore to Trivandrum. Minor cognate dialects are (x) the Tuluva, which is a dialect ‘ken in the neighbourhood of Mangalore, and is nearly allied to the Kanarese. PORE R2 INTRODUCTION (2) The various dialects spoken by the rude inhabitants of the Nilagiris, of which the Tuda is more allied to Tamil, and the Kota {cduata] to the Kanarese. The Bargher (BADAGA] is simply old Kanarese, much corrupted. (3) The Gond and Ku, in Gondwana and the adjoining hills. The rude languages of some other mountain tribes in Central and North-western India such as Brahi? possess more or less resemblance to Tamil in idiom and structure. To this family of languages the epithet'‘ Dravidian’ has been applied. This is hardly correct, as that term must include Marathi. They have also been styled ‘Tamilian, from Tamil, their chief member. 8. The origin and affinities of the South Indian gtoup of languages have been much discussed. in the one hand, the more deeply they are studied the more close will their affinity to Sanskrit be seen to be, and the more evident will it appear that they possess a primitive and very near relationship to the languages of the Indo-European group. Yet they are certainly not mere Prakrits, or corruptions of Sanskrit. Some have supposed that their place is among the members of the last-mentioned family, and that they are prob- ably disjecta membra of a language coeval with Sanskrit, and having the same origin with it. They certainly contain many traces of a close connexion with the Greek, the Gothic, the Persian, and other languages of the same family, in points even where Sanskrit presents no parallel. On the other hand, Professor Rask, Mr. Norris, and more recently Dr, Caldwell, have striven to show that the original. Janguage of the nomadic tribes from whom the races of South India have sprung was probably what they term ‘Scythian,’ that is, a member of that group of tongues in which are included the ‘Finnish, Turkish, Mongolian, and Tungiisian families.’ 4, Grammars of the Tamil may be divided into two classes: those composed by native scholars, and those written by Europeans to facilitate the acquisition of the language by foreigners. (x) In the first class it is only necessary to mention the following :— (2) Agastya's Sutras, It seems very doubtful whether the book which now goes under the name of Gui 5 8 Bund is really an ancient composition. As a whole this work is not extant, but fragments of it have been published. (6) The Totkappiyam, written by Sressroné@e of the townTHE TAMIL LANGUAGE IN GENERAL 3 of GanéventtSwé@y , south of Madura. This has been edited by S.V. Damédaram Pillai. The sergorc (sev =good, gre = scientific treatise), composed by Pavananti af the town of sevens. Of this very able work many editions have been published, and a copious commentary has been added by saar swéRamut of Tinevelly. The whole of the Nagra, with a plain prose commentary, vocabulary, and summaries in English, has been published as the second part of my Third Grammar. I would recommend the learner, who may wish to carry his studies beyond the present work, to read over this Third Grammar, as introductory to the Nannul. I venture to hope he ‘will find after mastering that work, that the writings of the Tamil Grammarians will present scarcely any difficulties. d) The Qsroremrs (Qsndi = ancient), compiled under the direction of the learned Jesuit, C. J. Beschius, This is a very comprehensive work; but its author imitates the native writers not in‘their excellencies.only. It can hardly be considered an. original work, though the chapters on Composition and Prosody are more so than the former part. (2) (2) The earliest Grammars published by Europeans were those of the Rev. C. J. Beschius, of which there are two, ene of the common dialect (@s1#@sp) and the other of the poetical (@eés8y). They were written in Latina. ‘A translation of the common Tamil Grammar was published by Mr. Horst, and subsequently with corrections by the Rev. G.W. Mahon. It has been superseded in a great measure by later publications, yet is deserving of an attentive perusal by the Tamil student. The ‘Shen’ Tamil Grammar was translated and published by Mr. Babington. This is a correct and scholarlike edition of a masterly work. An edition of the original was issued under the supervision of Dr. Burnell. (5) The early Missionaries of Tranquebar published a Tamil Grammar, copies of which are in the British Museum*. (¢) A Grammar was published in Europe by Mr. Anderson, of the Madras Civil Service. This is an able work, but its usefulness is lessened by its strict imitation of the native grammars. (d) The next was by the Rev. C, T. E. Rhenius, of Palamcottah. This is a very clear and useful work, and was founded upon that of Beschius. It has gone through three editions, and though not a scientific grammar, is a plain, useful manual. The Syntax a low: of ublications : (1) Zie 's Crammalica Fa ene ae ee On itnes Cromilaitas® ty Tange barises 1739.4 INTRODUCTION is deficient, and the examples were mostly marie for the grammar, and not taken from standard Tamil authors. (e) Dr, Graul, late director of the Leipzig Lutheran Mission, published a small manual, which, while it contains little new, is an elegant and scholarlike compendium. (f) Since the publication of the first edition of this work a Comparative Grammar of the Dravidian Languages has been published by Dr. Caldwell, which throws great light upon every part of the subject. 5. The native Tamil literature, though inferior in extent to the Sanskrit, contains many works which will amply repay the careful student. The names of a few of these, in the oder of their difficulty, I subjoin. I venture to mention the ‘Poetical Anthology,’ as containing the choicest bits 6f Tamil poetry, with the necessary apparatus. (See my Waladiyar, pp. xxxvi-xlvii.) (1) The writings of Auvai (Lesson 97). When the student is able to read plain prose Tamil with ease he will find the little works of this far-famed poetess the best introduction to the study of the poetical Tamil. They consist of, (a) The Atti-cidi (gs@e4), (2) The Konrai-véynthan (Qsnerenp Ganiésen), and {c) The Mathurai (apse). The two former of these consist of Ethical and Miscellaneous Maxims, arranged in alphabetical order: The last work is not altogether a genuine production of the authoress; but the greater number of the verses: are of considerable antiquity and of undeniable merit. They have been published by the Rev. P. Percival, under the title of ‘Minor Poets,’ in a beautiful little volume. (2) The Kurral of Tiruvafluvar. This unique work was intended by its author to be a com- pendium of all wisdom, and to stand in the place of the Vedas to the Tamil people. (3) The Ramayanam of Kamban. Nothing can exceed the sweetness and harmony of the versification of this real poet. The first portion, or unaaceztd (the canto which relates to the youth of Rama, the hero; Skt. BALA, @ youth, KANDAM, 4 chapter), is deserving of careful study. * See The Sacred Kurral of Tirwooljuoa-Nayandr, with introduction, grammat, translation, &e. By the Rev. Dr. G. U. Pope, London, 1886, SreeTHE TAMIL LANGUAGE IN GENERAL & (4) The Naladi-naniiru (76, four, 99, line, wngonay, four hundred (§ 172)=the four hundred quatrains). This work consists of forty chapters on the same subjects as the Kurra]. The Tamil is pure, and many of the verses are of singular beauty, (5) The Naisadham, a poetical version, by King Adivirarama- pandiyan, of the History of Nala. Of this work it is proverbially said, ‘The Naishadam is the nectar of poets.’ (6) The Jivaga Cintamani, an Epic founded on the history of King Jivagan. This is a difficult work, but without doubt the finest Tamil composition extant. (7) The Témbiavani (Gsiur, unfading, xen, a garland) of Beschius must not be omitted in this enumeration. This work contains a kind of summary of the Bible, mingled with legends. It is a close imitation of the Cintdmani, from which much of its poetical diction and most; of its figures are borrowed. Some verses are brilliantly pcetical. There are many prose works in Tamil, which are translations or adaptations from the Sanskrit. All of these are, more or less, unsafe models of style, being full of foreign idioms and pedantic expressions. The following are much read, and will be useful to the discriminating studeat:— ~ (a) ssnwgsed (asn, fable, wGsed, cluster). . (8) senRagnwonf (Skt. chintamani, @ gem -supposed to yield whatever tts possessors wish for). ~ () uG@estGrésags (uGse, five, ston, method of acting), translated from the Sanskrit. 6. Thare is a large and rapidly increasing translated literature in Tamil. These works had better be studied sparingly by the learner, until his progress in the language shall enable him to detect unidiomatic forms and expressions. 3 See The Nalagiyar, with introduction, tratislatién, dnd notes. By the Rev, Dr. G. U. Pope, Oxford, 1893, 8v0.6 INTRODUCTION § Ul. THe AvpHaper. [The following pages are intended to assist the student who reads with = teacher. Throughout the work all matter included in t or printed in small type, may be left by the learner to the'second or third perusal. i, The Tamil primary letters (#@p4m) are 30 in number: 12 vowels and 18 consonants. @w (The. characters by which these are represented are evidently derived from the Grantham, which is itself derived from an ancient cave lier form of the Devantigari.] ii, The vowels are— D 1. Short (pie). | 2. Long (@xya). ga 2. Oi 3. 8 4.76 5s Po [A vowel is called eult agpigy=life-letter.] To pronounce , merely open the mouth, and produce an unmodified short @ Example: America. is the same sound lengthened. Example: Father, @ is i, as in pin. : wis the same lengthened, as in machine. : is to be pronounced nearly like oo in cook. The Italian w. ast, like « in vue, or oo in school, @ and 4, like the ¢ and a in enadde, respectively. g and 9%, like o in opinion and in opium, respectively. ®, as az in aisle, and sometimes as ai in maid: =di or di. gar, like ow in fowl. &> The vowels are remarkably pure and simple. The most careful attention is necessary in order to catch the sounds. __Uitch of importance in regard to Tamil vowels will be found in Pope's Grammar, ‘They are sometimes used as Demonstratives (comp, Lesson 6) and sometimes as Interrogatives ‘comp. Lesson 13).THE ALPHABET iii. The consonants are— nn pep w oon 11 nm 13 14 15 16 7 18 As & and g in king, gone As agin long - Pronounced as nearly as possible as a dental The Spanish # . When doubled Cc =yt . The.sharp sound of (d, in Sanskrit derivatives only) Very soft—as nearly dental as possible Something like the Weish 2 When doubled o=z . | The English'sound Guttural Labial Cerebral or Lingual Palatal ” {A consonant is called Gus ocpsgn = body-letter.] #8 INTRODUCTION c> [The more advanced student will find it useful to study the following arrangement of the consonants. (Comp. Pope’s Grammar, 8, 9, 10.)] Tamil grammarians divide the consonants into— 1. Strong, adalars, ai@uges [wd= strong, Qanb=class), which includes 4, 4, <, 8, 5, Piece sup} &> These cannot end a word. 2. Weak, Quadard, Qna@ag ist [Qua = soft], which includes ®, @, cin, 6, wb, or [mE;emewer], These are xasals. oO Here each letter is the corresponding nasa{ to the one above. QS Of these g, 6,5 only are initial. All except ®.may be final, 8. Middle, @anrWart, Man _Quepasr (@eor = middle|, which includes W, 7, 6, &, Y, of [wzeayer}. These are semi-vowels. OG [Of these ds and 4 only are initial: all may be final.) ‘In euphonic combinations, whenever a nasal precedes a ‘strong’ letter, the former is always changed to the nasal of the same class as the’ latter. . (2) A circle or dot (ysrafl), ° or -, above a consonant makes it mute: ¢4,¢¢. Remove the dot and it is sounded with short @: s ka, ¢ ga. To indicate that a letter is not mute, a horizontal line is sometimes put over it: 3, #; but this is unnecessary, and is seldom used. (® Some of these letters when used to express a Sanskrit or other foreign word may vary in sound. For such cases no - general rules can be laid down. 4, 4,4 are pronounced sharp or hard (1) in the beginning of a word, (2) when they have the mute mark, and (3) when they are doubled ; but soff or flat in all other cases. These letters are therefore (surd or) hard at the beginning of a word, and when doubled ; but (sonant or) soft when they occur singly, in the middle of aword. . Fxainples— I. sain (kan). eye. waer (magan), a son (as in ude (pakkam), side. German Zag). 2. Saxb (tavam), penance. . ups (matham), arrogance (as Sub (tabam), penance. th in this). : Is Je pronpuaced ju 4, with a | un (pazhz), half. 820 (¢attam), sound.THE ALPHABET 9 3. Lieand (panam), qoney. centres (enban), he will say. wind (appam), rice-cake, | umby (pamébx), a si bread. 2 (Cp. the Heorew use of the Dagesh.] (2) #=¢ is not a sibilant, but a very soft palatal: e.g. wre (mécu), a blemish. But (1) é#=¢¢a (¢ being pronounced as ch in church): e.g. Fen (agcam), fear, (2) @ after & or g=g: eg. gh (dei), possession ; @upa (nayarg, effort. : , (3) #after G=/: e.g. ese (aftju), fear thou; five. {2 The first five classes in the table (iii) consist of a guttural (4), a palatal (almost a dental) (¢), a lingual (), a dental (4), and a labial (4), Each of these has its nasal (o, @, as, #, 2), by which it is often accompanied: .yaGs, there; ugs#, coffen; sensor, he saw; @%s, this; sy, an arrow. (/) There are three r sounds; #, 4, 2. # (as nearly a dental as may be): Bring the tip of the tongue to the insertion of the upper teeth, and pronounce a gentle + [wsu, a tree; woot, a flower). & (palatal): Apply the tip of the tongue to the ridge of the palate, and pronounce a rough, vibrating r [wod, vice; urenp, a crag}. ® (cerebral): Apply the tip of the tongue, ‘as far back as you can, to the palate, and pronounce a rough rrr, in which a 2 sound will mingle: wey, rain. In the South, unable to articulate this letter, they use a strong / (ar) instead. In the North in the same way they, use d for. (Comp. § 123.) OQ These are never initial. The # and y are never doubled. (g) There are three 2 sounds: 4, a, ear. & (dental): Bring the tip of the tongue to the lower edge of the upper teeth, and pronounce a soft # [sew, nail; absrer, he came}. o (palatal): Apply the tip of the tongue to the ridge of the palate, and pronounce a distinct % [ward, mind ; weveir, fruit}. ei (lingual): Turn the tip of the tongue as far back as you can, and pronounce a strong #7 [wams, perfume; suet, beauty, defence]. @> 4 is seldom (or never) final; 6 and er never initial.10 INTRODUCTION (4) There are three ¢ sounds: 4, 06, Ac. . & (dental): Tongue to the lower edge of the upper teeth [sran, self; Grass, pearl), . ‘pp (palatal): Tongue to the ridge of the palate [q@pu, courtyard). This use of 4 to represent a palatal ¢ is an orthographical device. There is no Tamil sign for a palatal z, so a double 3 is used. [In transliteration a line drawn under is the sign of a palatal, when needful] 2 ee (cerebral) : Tongue curled round as far back as possible [epitia, @ covered fire]. This use of it is also a mere orthographical device. O> 4 is never final. [4 single, in the middle of a word, is sounded like zh in this, not like 2h in tin, and not like d: which is a very common mistake.] () There are two / sounds: &, a. © (palatal): Tongue to the ridge of the palate, and pronounce a soft / (se, a stone]. e (cerebral): Tongue curled round as far back as possible [ser, doddy), Qc These are never properly initial. UY) & fis pronounced ndy, i.e. a d sound is introduced for the sake of euphony. «ergpar (endran), he said. iv. When a vowel follows a consonant it is attached to that consonant, and forms with it what is called a Vowel-consonant fea#@.u =a living body). (a) Remove the sign (° or :) and » is inherent in the consonant, « ha, = ¢a, 3 fa, &c. (As in Hebrew, Sanskrit, &c.) (8) -g, when it follows a consonant, is changed into « or , (9+ 5=3). __ (These two forms are the same really. The intermediate form is found in Malayalam, &c.) sn ha, £0 94, an ta, &c, The latter form is only used in these three cases :— StEH@. et+g=@. s+g=~. (9 When @ is added to a consonant, only the ? is joined to the upper part of the consonant, #4+Q=8. 64 9=A. L+9=4.VOWEL-CONSONANTS. | aw | vote ore are Qa Gu | wha | Ga ke | Cw te | ona bai | Oam-ko | Cam ko | aor kau (oy tie | ey, [Qian te | Gan az | coven tai | Gear io Qanor tax ga | au @ oe | De ge | Cage | one gai | Qe go | Cam ga | Qaran gar | GG tt | apr Ae | opr ta! Dep he | Cog R2 | ongy Aai| Dep fo | Gepr to @eger fax wed | Ode | Caz | Oe | Cu a lam. dai|O1d| Gods | Qron den aol nt | omy me ‘spre Dane Goawar né | Saxor nai | ean x0 | Cea 2d | Qewurar nau | Ba | au | aria} Ose | Cav : ang tat | Qisr to | Gan to Qgon tan nit | Mmm | pit nat Op ne Gp né | ang nai | Oe no | Opi nd Qypar nau | iS pz | type | epee | Quape Gus pz | enrs pai | Ousr po | Gran po |. Osan pau mi | ap mu | ap mit | Quo me | Bro me | anto mai| Got mo| Grom ma | Guna man | uf ye | wpe | upye | Qui ye | Gury? | cous yai | Quit yo | Gum yd | Gluson you ve | pre | apra | Qrre | Gave | con rai | Qarro | Gaara | Qaar raw | SE | iu | oth Duk | Cake | % lai | Qarl | Covrls | Qavan lau Gan ve | anau vai | Gaur vo Qaren van Cup 72 | emp rai | Otpr ro | Crp ra | pen rau canta | Gare | Gar | tar iat | Gant | Gann ia | Geran tau Qp rv | Go 0 | enp rai | Oapr | Cap | Owen rau Gast 2 | Qasr nai | Clea no [Zo face p. 11.THE ALPHABET Ir id a is changed into c) joined to the under part of the consonant, or / singly added, or with a loop w. é4e=G. tess, C+e=0 erte=ay, bta=@, &. (¢) om is the preceding, with an additional stroke or loop to denote length. $+oe= (irregular). ¢+om=@, o+om=6, ow+on= gy, &c. . U)@ and @ are changed into @ and @ respectively, and prefixed to the consonant. [They were formerly joined; thus, ¢+er=es, and there was no difference in form between the long and the short. The same may be said of » and 5.] éta=@s, ¢+a=Ca. (g) 93 becomes @ and precedes the consonant. [This also was formerly joined; thus, + = eny.] &+93=00, a hand. To all those letters which begin with a loop it is still joined; thus, dw, &c. ) 9, » become @-7 and @-r respectively, the consonant standing between. 4+9=Q@sn } (In old alphabets Qsz is GX and Gar is Cx™. ét+g=Gar } Compare the English 4.) (i) ser become O-or: 4+6er=Qser. (These combinations are rarely used.) () The number of these vowel-consonants. is 18x 12=216. These are shown in the table of vowel-consonants. (& Impronouncing the letters in Tamil schools they lengthen a short vowel and add ma; thus, & is pronounced fd-7a, @ ki-na. To a long vowel they add vena or yena; v or y being inserted for euphony. _ an is pronounced ka-vena, oe kar-yena, &e. The sooner this is got rid of the better. Children should be taught to pronounce ha, 24, &c. (Q But «0 is sometimes added to a short letter, and sand to a long one. is then a-garam, 4 d-gévam, 5 ka-garam, sn ka-garam, &c. ere the letter s is transliterated g, being no longer initial ; comp. iii. ¢, p. 8.)12 INTRODUCTION v. (@ If the consonants are properly pronounced, the vowels preceding some of them will be necessarily modyfied, in a manner analogous to the German ‘umlaut.’ Examples. sue, he, aven (not avan). savi, he (politely), aver (not avar). §@, house (viidu). Queix, female (pon). ib, @ place. Sper, a neighbour. Caar, an opportunity, ee @ am Oswed, a doing. Carey, another. Sy, under. Cup, an acquisition. | B®, leave. & The learner must take care to vary the sound of the vowel only just so much as is necessary to the proper pronunciation of the following consonant. [.9y before the final o, air, #, 4, 6, or or of all but mono- syllables takes very nearly the sound of o. In the words Qureir®, two, and QasHarw, a gem, the 9 of the vowel-consonant s is pronounced very short, and vulgarly as «. So also in Sanskrit : words, as «ésa1, sulphur,] () Initial @, @ @, @ (chiefly when followed by a cerebral or palatal) are often pronounced as if preceded by w (as the English initial # is often sounded yw, as in union). eeveme, all. og, which, aon, a vessel, dish. #O, an equivalent. Dar, kindred, aacr, which man? &> This y sound is sometimes written, both in Tamil and in its kindred dialects. (9 @ seldom has its full sound, except in the first syllable of a word. In other cases it is often sounded ty, only differing from @ in the slight_y sound in which it ends. AISLE and MAID give the two sounds very nearly, Compare from your teacher’s lips the different sounds of — es, a hand, and ugées, a pebble, eu, a bag, and gates, him, ep %, eow, ink, and senu, a congregation. (Here it is 7+ 9.) eat, put! and Gwe, a table, In the middle of a word it is often sounded almost like »: ¥%er-aG, all. The mule given in the Nagnil (95) is, that 93 has its full quantity only when it is used to express its own name. [In Telugu and Malayalam a is often used where Tamil uses 35 and @ answers to it often in Kanarese. Thus: Tel. VELA=THE ALPHABET 13 Str, price. Mal. AVA=geoa, those things, Kan, HALAGE= ues, a board.) (d) & figal is always pronounced very slightly, and by the common people is often turned into @. It is almost always added to facilitate the enunciation of the final consonant. (G. 15.) [The Telugu and Kanarest silso use « iti a similar manner.] wnr®, an animal of the genus Bos=almost to wm’. ugéeg, in order to, is often pronounced u##@. Initial a is sometimes pronounced vulgarly as 9: thus ear, thy, becomes ger. er Cars gt Car, immediately. (¢) .gor is often written ya or we. Thus Quorans, silence, is written ward. This letter does not really belong to the language, and was introduced, apparently, under Sanskrit influences. perenay, a certain poetess (p. 4)= #/dvenay. (/) Commonly, @ and 9 before 4 are pronounced as if followed by & :— 58, having made, becomes gis @. Sarde, having looked at, is pronounced as if written Garis @, imé@und, bliss, becomes umié@und. | vi. A letter called aytham (G. 12), and written thus, & or « (=the Greek x), is used in poetry only. It may be an imitation of the Sanskrit visarga. vii. From the old Grantham alphabet are borrowed the following letters, to assist in the expression of foreign words :— op SH. ov § gio H (Cerebral; generally “) the English s (generally 4) 27 a ksh gm (generally # or )) (4) (sometimes in the end of a word in MSS.) With these the vowels may be joined. @aflafl, a teacher. oP, a woman. gored, Loss. BSR, smd, \ dane. wom tb, H he seu, loss. arid, an elephant. Guo aspsd, aver, er f= nf [Skt jati], race. ‘The question of the strict scientific expression of Sanskrit words in Tamil characters is discussed in an especial section of the Nangul (a Gers.yeed), 146, 7. It is much to be desired that these rales should be strictly obeyed wherever possible; and the analogy of these rules should be followed in the introduction into Tami! of other foreign words. ‘Much of the Tamil in popular use wears a very barbarous appearance through their neglect. * Soe Bithler's Zndische Palacographie, pp, 68 et 269.4 INTRODUCTION viii. The following abbreviations and signs-are in use :— sear@eis yorQeus Gare? srorgy wet cultivation dry cultivation a land measure current up of b wre Gs eggapid Reb month day year ground a a @ or @V ee gyena upp ere ee balance received receipts charge a Sa 2 Cupury. ear ere aunsex aforesaid monty cash @ pagoda ee y & an eguinis Ques smd eense Gib wupee 10 fanams ayard until @ or sa_ oe oh Go @ oe as IAD eousn a square yard total an anna a pie a Sn Shey Leou eenswpr Raanemd Qnegy Seutd belonging to more or less paddy @ measure ~ B Sow RGF. Qore QorzeangA on apt @ polite title for a jtiréor nuost honourable, a title a ge fo (fox rija-pri) ix. The following lists, given for the sake of practice, contain none but useful, ordinary words. It will berwell to commit them to memory. The pronunciation must be prac- tised with a competent teacher. The notes may be useful to the student hereafter. (1) Words containing 4. sau, a jinger-nail. | paw, a yoke. a@, a cage. sraw, @ large snake.| Geap, 2 well. 610, a jungle. Gan», murder, | Coren, the world, Gs, loss. Gane, a stick, Gara, \a metal, Spe, a scratch. Ganon, pomp. Corama, \ loham.] | #86; an entanglement. Ger, a tank, wore, chaff, stalks, &c.| @ Bongo, Christ. @. & represents the Sanskrit &, &h, & gh and k, and is conse- quently surd or sonant according to its position. The Greek WXTHE ALPHABET 15 &. & is often doubled, but only when it follows a vowel. It is never transmuted o: elided. c. The use of ¢ for the Sanskrit 4 arises from the fact that che Tamil possesses no aspirate whatsoever. d@. The sound of # in the middle of words is very soft, like the final g in some German words. @) Words with m. - seer, pure gold. Gsmendi, a cocoanut. UeG, & share. shed, an assembly. | ms, where? sheng, the Ganges. Qunaig, boil up. Rwew, a lion. sntvens, heat. a. a never occurgat the beginning or end of a word. 3. w followed by 4 becomes «. (Comp. iii. ¢, p. 9.) {3) Words containing e, # or . gers, a male. gies, an owl. om, a world wok, an ornament, \aesh, a ladder, | gpd, an end. goo, a nail. aor, why. Sein, food, boiled rice. sy texr, & dam. Seni, disease. Uair ss, make. utter, @ pot. aig, lift in the | wemb, web, mind, Baer, a2 cath. | ae pat i Hes, that. 5 iD, eH, spul, oreo, near. arts, ha 888. | ster, cat. Dery, to-day. ASB, an atom. * a. er and ew are never found at the beginning of a word. &. & is not found at the end of a word, and only of a syllable when followed by 4 c. and @ are interchanged occasionally. In poetry + after e often disappears. . d, w before g becomes 8, (Comp. iii. ¢, p. 9.) ¢. orig sometimes changed into @ before a hard letter. (esuffers the same change.) ff es sometimes becomes ~ before a hard letter. (4) Words with 6. Gis, memory, memorial. | IO (vulg. ), five, CES, cotton. Eranb, wisdom. SGA, rice-water. | geet, saffron. onl, the sun, Sunday. eeeterr, deceit. G55, Poison. . & is never found at the end of a word. i It is, in high Tamil, used for 4, and vice versa. . ¢. When comes before & it may be changed into @. (Comp. fii. e, p- 9.)16 INTRODUCTION a. In common Tamil 4g are often changed into @#, For smitgg, tt has grown hot, is used anigag. (5) Words with &e', 44, a. app, death. opens, a fauli(obj. | endanen,he preserved. ned, an assembly, baie m spy, having learned. | & fs), 2 dance. SUL SOS, an assem-| sipm, wind. 01, Limit, bly (obj. case). | #12, tie ! wr®, hook ttt AEP, less. sm, show! wom, other. Gipb spp, faultless.| Aspipsi, } wicreator. wonno, changeit! Yaron, ~ip.et, . wa 3 G02, onky. Yyougsen, ba book. “ @ Cx. is often written for «3. in Sanskrit words. 6. $6 is often written for evs in Sanskrit words, ¢. 88 or pp is interchangeable with ##. (6) Words with 4, (¢ and 4) [¢ flat as in the English there, never sharp as in ¢hin. Not d, unless in Sanskrit words). Gsacs, a god (San-| sagy, an ear. wig, @ woman. skrit d). 50, a jungle, ton Gr_enr, J cannot. sex, honey. sii, wind. uteng, a path. ung, 2 foot. an, complainant. | e0_nes,a landowner. unt, a lesson, wn, an animal of the| onppw, a stench. angi, sound, genus Bos, a. & becotnes o¢&asionally when it follows a cerebral. 6. It becomes 6 sometimes after a palatal. ¢. § represents Sanskrit 4, 2h, d, dh. @. represents Sanskrit 7, th, d, dh. (7) Words with 4, #4, #02, species (s or 7). | @usmgger, ) about 13 | er®, witness. Osu, prayer (s or 7).| Cume2er, miles. | were, . Fam, people (s or 7). | wred, a month wengi, } ete mind. Geng, light (s or 7). | one, } ar Drees, py Cureresr, counsel. pups, effort. Boraserr, 5 7 *MS- a Fen, shame, snl, sight, vision. a. & represents the Sanskrit ¢, ch, Ss Ids GS 6. The Sanskrit s is sometimes represented by # and &. ¢. The Tamil possesses no pure sibilants 3 but in common use #=¢. The vulgar constantly pronounce Qed chey, a. # and are often interchanged; thus ous, Life, is often Pronounced aeg,THE ALPHABET 17 (8 Words with & 4, 3. Dern, pleasure. unter, a pot. | een, | heaven wars, affliction, aS2eur, a lute. wrend, § (vulg.). mand, i ‘a, My sw, a miracie, a, a way. uae, yl, the earth. up), vengeance. sae, wenyp, ratit. sup, } penance, , aeIn Sanskrit words & and @& are often interchanged. 6, In vulgar talk is often used for &. ¢. & is sometimes written for &. d. In Kanarese 4 is often used for c. e. is sometimes used for the Skt. 44 [yd =BHOMI]. (9) Words with #, 6, ». word, a tree. wh, a foal. upd, ) . wap, violence, sin. ef, a stick. uad,, \F rite, wip%», childish pratile. | #8, right. Gam, a fowl. @. is pronounced like or in Tinevelly, and like & in Madras. & @ and @ are often confounded by the common people. c, @ at the end of the former member of a compound is always a transmutation of & or a (p. 22). (10) Words with & or a, &ev(9v), @ stone. uer(gy), a tooth. yeratl, a cipher or sar(@n), toddy. Osa (Quagy), un- dot. Qsnai(gy), kill! husked rice. yatl, tamarind, Garer(@a), buy, take. | udrori, a hollow. yod, a tiger. Qendi(gu), say. yer(gy), grass. aed: a rat. Qe, expenditure, | Serdar, a child. a, & and er are changed into a and air sometimes before » (p. 22); 4 and into and before a hard letter. (x1) Words with w. wir Poor, wgp2aor, ) are ele-| gS, ts, [hazing be purl lay Quntar, phant. |.4@, come, | gpiuml |" wound, deceit. wai, a dog. Busrand, equity. a. When a word begins with @, @ may be put before ‘it. &. When a word ends in wW, @ may be omitted, or changed to 4. c. ais is sometimes written for g. (12) Sanskrit words in Tamil. Gap, uc, . eeCraspes, Jy. Suan, subtility, usp, a bird. esCsrafsare, she GOwwb, | refinement. |us®, rejoiced. GEG, Pore c18 INTRODUCTION ump, Orr ue rd, le side. @oren, all forms of uss, soscr, } Skt. rajan, 805 crt Berws | a hing 5 A eonLn, Caran, Qo, Yor oft. eGored, forms of wayerid, silence Behe, world. ay Querer., mee 206, . a. When a word begins with », 2, or y in Sanskrit, é will in Tamil generally take @, e, . before the initial consonant; since those letters cannot begin a word, according to strict Tamil rules. 5. au of the Sanskrit may be expressed by ser or oi; the © latter being the real Tamil method. x. The following are a few of the double letters used in MSS. — &, a, Ss; Ga, Oe, & & a. és, $8, 46, 6@s, das, $5, 88, CL. xi. The following hints regarding pronunciation may be of use :— 1, As a general rule it may be stated that Tamil scarcely admits of accent upon individual syllables. Sometimes particles added to a word are emphasized; but, it is safe to aim at pronouncing all syllables alike, with due regard to quantity. The root syllable will, however, be distinguished by something akin to accent. 2, In reading be very careful to avoid the English emphasis and tone. An even, distinct articulation is all that is required. 8. Tamil should be read rather faster than English. 4, Be very careful in pronouncing all double letters. 4-af? is amarind, but yeref is a dot! 5. It need scarcely be said that the pupil must use very great pains in accustoming himself to pronounce each conso- nant accurately by stopping it at the right place—lips, palate, throat, or base of the brain. Unless this be done, the Tamil letter is not produced, but merely something analogous to it This will require at first some exaggeration, but will toneTHE ALPHABET 9 down in a little while. The consonants are very seldom the “English consonants! 6. If each consonant be stopped at its proper place, this will occasion, by a mechanical necessity, a certain modifica- tion (or wmlaut) of the vowel preceding. This must only be allowed as far as is mechanically necessary. When the consonant is right, the preceding vowel will come right naturally. 7. No SYLLABLE AFTER THE FIRST CAN IN TAMIL BEGIN WITH A vowEL. This is of exceeding importance. It follows that when to a short syllable another beginning with a vowel is added, a consonant will often have to be doubled. Thus #é& becomes sé%, and this doubled consonant must be sounded with the second syllable, or the meaning is lost. This is at the root of the whole system of doubling consonants. 8. There are in Tamil four kinds of syllables :— (1) Short open: s. (2) Short closed: s6. () Long open: sa. (4) Long closed: sre. It is easy to divide the syllables, and so pronounce correctly, if the learner keep in mind the rule: ALL BUT INITIAL SYLLABLES BEGIN WITH A CONSONANT. 9. Inreading Tamil it is to be remembered that many English stops and pauses are out of place. The genius of the Tamil language requires that there should be a short pause after the principal members in every sentence; but that all words which are adjuncts, enlargements, adjectival appendages, or adverbial extensions, should be read with the words to which they belong, without any intervening pause. The complete enlarged noun, with all its enlargements, forms a single compound word, to be pronounced flowingly without any break. Pauses may be made where you pass from subject to predicate, and in general where there is the introduction of a new idea. This requires a good deal of practice. The Englishman generally introduces far too many pauses. c220 INTRODUCTION xii. Synopsis of the combinations and.ehanges of letters. {Compare and study weit the table of vowel-consonants ; also G. 19-42, for a complete view of the subject.’} It may be useful to the student to have before him the principal changes of letters in Tamil composition, though these tules are not strictly observed in all cases. It is desirable to write, as far as possible, as well-educated people speak, not using unnecessary changes; but retaining those which are euphonic and natural. All that is essential is included under the following six heads :— I. Combination without Change : Qudyd yaortéA, The final consonant of a word often combines simply with the initial vowel of the following. Bord + QgsOng = And GéOng , there is ground, &S It is in general better, however, to separate the words. When words combine there may be changes: Senos yorteR, These are three: Insertion, Transmutation, Omission, IL, Zusertion of Letters: Ssrempe. {This is called Csrapa= appearing, since a new letter appears] Fundamental principles :-—~ a _Two VOWELS CANNOT COME TOGETHER. & 6, & 6 4 ARE DOUBLED AFTER A VOWEL, WHEN THE LATTER WORD GOVERNS THE FORMER; BUT NOT WHEN THE PRECEDING WORD SIMPLY QUALIFIES THE LATTER, OR WHEN THERE IS AN ELLIPSIS. Rules, (1) The final consonant of a monosyllable whose vowel. is short, is doubled before a vowel in the beginning of the following word (p. 19). wan + yh = weiremils, the earth is rare: Quine +. HQwu= Guncrengane, the preciousness of gold, (2) When a vowel at the e beginning of a followin hiatus. (§ 18.) (The same letters are ased in all the cognate languages. Teluga also uses ».] @ Q, #, and 99 take & (as most homogeneous). 6. or takes either & or &. ¢ The other vowels take & only, nd of a word meets a vowel in the ig word, & or & is inserted, to avoid theTHE ALPHABET at Qed +ecix® = GeAlyeir®, there is yet. B+ ofud= BOuiupd, the fire will burn. eos + 93 =ensenw, a hand (obj.). BDat7=QOHsCo, that indeed. seCer + yacr= gs¢Garwacr, he is indeed a king. (3) When , @, & or «, demonstrative or interrogative, are prefixed to words, the following consonant is doubled. + weilser = gidwell ser, that man. D+ SO= Ba, this house. o+ams=adams, what way? (4) After a vowel, initial 4, ¢, 4, 4 are doubled, the sonant being thus changed into a surd. wfptsifub=upps enfluns, the other affair. Oist sfso=Oasé a6 g1>, tts sound. To this there are regular classes ot exceptions. a. Mag GsrOssror, did he give? (after an interrogative or emphatic particle or letter.) 6, seinex QarG.s, O elder brother, give! (after a vocative casc.). &. Qewang g0'9, thou didst, O younger brother } (after a finite verb.) 4. 59.07 @ Sess, a horse that ran (after a relative participle), é. g® ane, the post of a picota (after a verbal root used as an adj.). J 98 Gublgy, that is great (after a pronoun). &- aG@®@ Cun, go with him aongy ate, my dead } otter a case of a noun). @® There are many anomalies here, especially when one (or both) of the words is Sanskrit. In general, whenever the latter in any way governs the former, and there is no ellipsis, the #, #, 4, © must be doubled, thns throwing the force of the compound on the governing word. (5) After d, #, a following 4, 4, 8 or 4 will, for the most part, be doubled. Quni + Qedai=Qurié Orders, false prosperity. 64 + Ga f=sregap, a bubble on the water, (6) @, %, @ are often doubled after d or gg at the end of monosyllables. , Qwir + Grard=QudiGenend, true wisdom,22 INTRODUCTION Ill. Transmutation of Letters. [This is called Fase = turning] Fundamental principle :— CONSONANTS WHICH MEET MUST BE OF THE SAME CLASS AND ORGAN. This is assimilation. Rules. (1) Final is changed into # before 4. ab +ser= atisar (§ 37), onr. Final is changed into @ before ¢. ured + QediGser=urag@siGser, I have sinned. Final 4 is changed into before 3. weed + signer =uemisssrer, he gave money. That is, is changed into the nasal of the class to which the following consonant belongs (pp. 8, 9). (2) ei and or before 4, ¢, #, and “ are often changed into c. cert IoCaAssrer=eociIsCahasner, he entered in. wnor + Ganga = erCrnonb, every day. [Here the 4 of the following word is lost.] (3) o and & before 4, #, 3, and ty are often changed into 2. Qurer + erp. = @unpeny, a golden vessel. Qurex+ sa@= Ounpps®, a golden plate. (Here 4 is also changed.] sO4+ RL U=SHKLU, @ stone building. 5.6 + Barr = aL pens, a wave of the sea.. (Here the 4 is also changed into 4.) In high Tamil a letter called dytham and written & is also found here. It is equivalent to the Greek x, and is used for 4 in fete prapsmmutations Thus we often meet with sop for og. dd (4) & and er before @ are changed into e and er respectively, and @ itself is changed into the same letters, or disappears alto- gether. 5a + A= serene, a good composition. IMG + wiper = HGenser, Lord of grace. (5) & and a before & are changed into a and em respectively. 48) + wv = seru%er, a Mountain of stone. Geer + dpi. = Cpemapin, a crown of thors,THE ALPHABET 23 (6) « after es and o is sometimes changed into those letters respectively. sein + b= seinent i, tears. Sor + Bed = gererevin, his good. {And sometimes one of the double letters is omitted.] 1V. Omission of Letters. [This is called Qe@pa = destruction.} Fundamental principle :— TAMIL SENTENCES MUST GLIDE ON GENTLY WITHOUT INTERRUPTION. Rules, (1) A final a (in all words except dissyllables whose first vowel is short) is called @@Pue asm (short-nature-2), and is lost before a following vowel. or@ + 2 citr@ = wt Doir® [G. 15], a bullock is there. But ve +eewO=usaew®, there is a con. Vet Og + aerer= @Oserer, what is this? (2) Final . is often dropped before & or 6, sro + wigs = srowngs, the time will change. Brwd + sHAg = Gmosdesg [POET], the name is good, V. Sanskrit Compounds. The following are the most common Sanskrit changes :— (1) ty gy £94 ye0= e089, movable and immovable, A+B=aQBe Sse + gouwd=Csaraws, a temple of God. (2) ota orea=g9. Grer+euCsrb= GrC@uGsens, spiritual instruction. (3) 9+ or #=e. Stat rovers =siGacvare, Lord of all. wp+Qprid=wGasprid, according to one's desire. VI. Miscellaneous Changes. (1) There are certain anomalous changes which words undergo when compounded: thus— utar+ s1@=uermen®, a palmyra forest. (2) Letters are omitted: thus— Logoprens is written Mgrs, Qeaengacs is written Qeaaes or Gers, [This takes place chiefly in poetry}FIRST LESSONS IN TAMIL [4. In the first few lessons letters inserted for the sake of euphony are put in brackets. 2. None but common words are used. 3. The exercises should he written and committed to memory, after being cor- rected, Let the leerner frame more exercises for himself, and repeat each sentence again and again, after the teacher, imitating his tone and accent, A little trouble and perseverance at first will save time in the end. 4: The figures in brackets refer to paragraphs, §. Every word in each Vocabulary should be looked out in Part III, and the synonyms carefally learnt. 6. A key to the exercises is given in Part II. This should be used with judgement.] LESSON 1. §1 Voeabulery. wellgcr,a man, Guise, a son, | seas, a good man (§ 184). Gsacr, a god. semGLar, I saw, seuséserx, an accountant, from e@bsrex, (he) came. semré@, an account. Qeissrex, (he) did. eigsee, a merchant. Lier enflenesr, (te) made. maar, he, Qsae ener, (he) couched: 9G, one (a or an). (These are irregular past 2, and. tenses. Comp. § 58-70.) § 2. Nouns in er are generally masculine. Names of irrational animals and of things without life are neuter. [G. 52, 53.] _§8. The sign of the accusative (or second case)—case of the direct object—is the vowel gg (p. 12. ¢), which is added to nouns in &, thus: wellser+ 9 =werlster, Gumer + 99 = Guster. This case, which follows the verb in English, comes immediatel; before it in Tamil, thus: ajgss%n[ 4] sonGex, (1) saw merchant. [G. 58.} § 4. After the sign of the second case any one of the letters 4, 4, 8 or 4 MUST be doubled, thus: aren [8] Ognitenar, (hey touched him, (G.27.] §5. The subject-pronoun is often omitted in Tamil (after the manner of the classical languages) where the English requires its insertion, thus: assaew, (ie) cane (not ger @egres),PRONOUNS 25 +6. The verb zo Je is often omitted in Tamil: yaar Qsoer, he [is] @ god. § 7. When two words would be joined in English by putting and between them, &. must be added to BOTH, thus: sexrésgys quigse gd, (an) accountant and (a) merchant. {c. 113.] A single 22 would signify eve, also, too, according to the context, thus: Gurren agsicir, (the) son also came, or even (the) son came, or (the) son too came. § 8. Tamil has no article ; but 935 (§ 172), whigh means one, May sometimes be used for a or az. There is no precise equi- valent for she. [But comp. § 25 and Less. 48,] Exercise 1, (To be rendered into English.) § 8. leewéser wégrer. *9¢ woflster[s] seinG_er. Sgac weiss, *@umer uawentlenes. Saissser Osignar. 8 yagud Giongyd. | semés%n[ $] Osa cae. 8 wi,gsston [a] Semner, ‘aissscr western [3] Ogatine, “og Crago. UV eigsser sioacs, eure Osisier, {To be rendered into Tamil.) 1The accountant did. *The merchant made. *(He) touched the man. ‘I saw the man. ®He [is] (a) merchant. ©The man and the merchant. 7A man anda merchant. *The accountant also came. °Even the son touched him. ' He did. 11 The son [is] good. ™The son saw. LESSON 2 § Lo. PRONOUNS. [LESS.10. G. 71-73] wes, | &,.thou goss, he | sasr, she f &a, you gai, he (politely) | “qeirDee, \e-cirZenr, thee| pyever, dim ater, her me |eudenc, you} (regular) (regular) i Nom. or Ist case, SING. Acc. or 2nd case, SING.26 LESSON 2 preteen | ene, they (m. or f. Wnaser, : . hey (n.) yaisr%n, youste or them (m. or f.) gape, them (n) § 11 (a) In Tamil, as in most languages, the pronouns are irregular ; those of the 3rd person, however, present the fewest anomalies. . (2) 68 is what is called an Aonorisic or polite form; and is used as the English you. [G. 138.] , The plarals of all the pronouns may be used in this way for the singular, (c) The difference between ems and anqecr is, that er includes those that are spoken to, sntsact excludes them. The only exception to this is when a superior speaks of himself honorifically in the plural. Thus kings say We. In this case #m does not include those spoken to. [ert may thus be considered as a dual form. The language affords no other traces of the dual, in this agreeing with both Pali and Prakrit.] § 18. Adjectives (or words so used) are undeclined, and set BEFORE the nouns they qualify, as in English. [Less. 43. G. 118-121.] § 1s. Vocabulary. sn, a mother. Gar, bad. nab, a dog. Quiw, great. Qa), do (the root and also the | Peren, Zitzle. imperative). 4s! or 4Bu, new, wow, a tree. uenipui, old. WEE, 2 Son, euwer, a boy. wser, a daughter. KOS unr, he called. see), good. @agSwer, a physician, (> He saw me, aeirten[ 4] seirereir, (me [he] saw). [G.190.] Exercise 2. § 14. '@ufw veflser, % gee sie sri, 8Qscti ord. ‘Rerer user. sé @uuten[é] sexCicr. 'Outlu wiisser wigrer, “usopu ond, ° yens[é] Oris. * edre%r[ 4] Osrterer. 8 Geres[G] couner, “Fi Gudu aiisser, ™ crew taruyid, 65 ma Harerupds etiIser, [is inserted to prevent hiatus, p. 20.ANALYSIS OF VERBAL FORMS 27 ‘A little dog. 7A new accountant. °A good daugh * She [is] a little daughter. 5 He lis} a big boy. . The little boy touched the mother. 7He called the great merchant. * The new physician called them. * He saw a boy and a little dog. Do that. ™ He touched us and them. He called me and thee. 1° That great physician is good. LESSON 3, THE VERB: (af2aré @sené=action-word.) [G. 75-81.] $15. There are some things relating to the conjugation of Tamil verbs that, at first sight, appear difficult ; but, in reality, the whole system is very easy; and, once mastered, will be seen to be exceedingly simple. (a) Tamil verbs have only three simple tenses ; viz, the present, the past, and the future. [G. 78.] (4) These forms, when analysed, are found to consist of the root (u@®), the middle particle denoting time (Qeo. #%v), and the terminations which distinguish person and number (e&/@#) ; thus, ulp.é@Gper is the rst person singular present tense, / read. ump éGser is the ist person sing. past tense, 7 read. ugcGuer is the 1st person sing. future tense, 7 shad! read. These three forms have the same root, ug, signifying read or tearn. They have also the same termination, ee, signifying J, the sign of the first person singular. They differ only in the middle particle, which being added to the root, distinguishes the tense or time. (c) The middle particle, or sign, of the present is @p (@6) or 68m. [G. 80.] (c’) The middle particle, or sign, of the past is 4 (or 4¢ or 34) or Ger, [G. 79.] ; (e) The middle particle, or sign, of the future is (tx or ). [G. 81.] In conjugating any verb, then, the learner must ascertain (first) the ROOT, and (secondly) the particular MIDDLE PARTICLES which it receives. (f) As a general rule verbs which are active-transitive in their signification take 4@ in the present, 44 in the past, and toc in the future, while other verbs take @p in the present, 48 in’ » aris an euphonic insertion.28 LESSON 3 the past, and @ in the future [G, 82]:—thus, uw, darn, being transitive, makes Present. up-éBg (Bb) - [The final e in g will be lost before a vowel.] From these, by adding the termination oem for the rst pers. sing., 8 for the 3rd pers. sing. masc., ger for the 3rd pers. sing. fem., and yg for the 3rd pers. sing. neut., we shall obtain :— Present. Past. Future. The ist pers.| ug ¢@Gpeir uy-sGger ug-UGusr sing. I learn or read,| J learned I will arn or am learning The grd pers,| ug-é Qaper ug-gsrer Ligure sing. masc. he learns he learned | he will learn The grd:pers.| u-é@gper u-gsner uig-Uumer sing. fem. she learns she learned | she will learn The grd pers.| up-é@ng u9- 645) (erg -tet 9) sing. neut. tt learns at learned Here there is a variation. Less. 24. (g) Sometimes the same root is used both with a causal or transitive and an intransitive signification ; thus: Present. Past, Future. 99-BEpar wp-aGser wP-Cacr From the root) / perish anf are formed ) 914-6 @Cner anp-ssex af-cCusr J destroy In this case the weaker form is naturally intransitive, and the stronger, transitive. In s%a and a few other verbs this is reversed. ‘The tansitive or causal verb is pele (other action): the action ends in some other. ‘The intransitive verb is suvaiter sedf-action): the action ends in the subject. (G. 99-104.OBJECTIVE CASE 29 § 16. Vocabulary. ug, read. QanOggrex, fut. Qsr@iuse), ap, perish, destroy. ive. Guid, feed, graze (trans. and | wr®, an ox, any animal of the intrans.). genus Bos. Coie, a herdsman, shep- | sveng, father. herd. Us, a Com. Qand (pres. Os@é@eyer, past | Werar, a child. Qo" He gave it, qaer yong[s] Oar Qisran, (he it gave.) Exercise 3. § 17. 1ups@Gper. *CuisOGror, CobGEper, ‘9G Coer, F 9 fs@Gner, %Oulu us. Terasfucr ups@ei. 8 seméscir crorter giltiuner. 9 ede eouwer Ugcimer, 1 Coir’ uer sreews Qsn@isror, Uuwr® CobiSnrg. ' Serdar uypsrg. ByBu wr@ Cowdsgg. “MParer waepd smuyib. B Cowie CnicOgor, “shower upsOgar. Vuswr® atggr 8 Oufus Serer uip.éAngs. 1He perishes. *I destroy. ‘°%I feed. *The cow grazes. 5 The shepherd grazes (trans). The accountant destroyed it. The little child reads. ® The cow perishes. °The little dog destroys it. ™The bad boy will destroy them (neut.). He gave it. ™I will give. ™The physician will give it. ™The old cow gave. ™The mother will give. ‘The father gave. LESSON 4. THE OBJECTIVE CASE. [G. 58-70.] § 18. The 2nd case (§ 3) of us (a cow) is use; of wood (a tree), wogerg; of wr (an ox), orien; of Weiter (@ child), Sertoranu ; of 9m (a river), goenp; of se (a stone), e6r% ; and of angi (an ear), eros. (a) useoa is nom. u#+ a +99 (comp. § 3). Why is the & inserted? When the vowels 9, g, ®, 20, 6, &, 5, Ser are followed by a vowel, & is inserted for the sake of euphony (# may take either d or &), p. 20, (6) Sor2orenu is nom. Sorter +i +93. Why is & inserted? ‘When the vowels @, # or g9 are followed by a vowel, & is inserted for the sake of euphony (p. 20). (c) watient. is nom. wr@ + gp, the final e of the noun being elided, and the . doubled; thus, wm, wrt, wre. The30 LESSON 5 rule is, when any noun ends in @, not pyaceded by one short syllable, (1) the - is doubled, (2) the e is elided, and (3) the termination of the case is added. / (2) From gg is formed gen, in the same way, substituting piore. (0) wagers is wob+g, the & being changed into 48; or, which is the same thing, cast away #4, insert sgr, and add the termination of the case. (f) sé is nom. +6 +. The final consonant of a short monosyllable is doubled before a vowel (p. 19). (g) scons is nom. s1g/—e+—. The final @ of all words not consisting of two short syllables, and not fncluded in the above rules, is elided before a vowel. $e. Vocabulary: SD, a house. | is Tamil, and Isr Sanskrit ; wn®, a country. the former is more familiar, an®, a jungle. and answers to weer, as Ser QO, sheep. to Gunma}. BM, a river. aren, the heaven. Cem, mud. yy), the earth, yorgsd, ysseu, a book. eos, a hand. sstius, Ise, a father [sstuier Exercise 4, $20. onc en_[3] saCer. taco Cudiuer giao Cuigssreir. Susmaud cuAarys same, *Sgrna[é] attire. Seiigsser 905 wisems[4] OsrOturar, Semorgnd yu. 7 a9 Gsp, * Sor'eronu[s] Qprcrue, Tenscow[s] Osmines, ” seméser yOu Seo wSgster, “esau [s] Gand. 1] saw a house. *He destroyed the country. ‘I fed the cow. ‘I will give a book. 5I saw the mud. *He called the good father. 7The little boy learns the new book. *H* touched the dog. °I did it. 1°I saw the heaven. It destroyed the jungle. "The big boy saw the father and mother. 1° The physician gave a book. 11 read a good book. LESSON 5. DECLENSION OF THE NOUN, [G. 55-64.] § 21. The Tamil noun is said to have eight cases. These are, {a) The first (or nominative), which (in the singular) is the noun or the stem itself, .[Less. 74. G, 56.]DECLENSION OF NOUNS 3! (4) The second (acgusative or objective), which adds g3 to the stem. [§ 18 and Less. 75.] [The added particles, signs of case, &c., are called agy=form. Nanyiit, 240.) (c) The third (or instrumental), which adds 9@, or ye, of which the former means together with, and the latter dy. This is in reality two cases. [Less. 76.] (d) The fourth (or dative), which adds @=#0 (or 6@ or 28 @) to the stem. [e is ifiserted euphonically and # is doubled according to rule.] If g« be also added it gives the meaning of Sor, [Less. 77] (e) The fifth (or ablative of motion), which adds @< (some- . times Qer), Mod Ge9 or Gere to the stem. [Less. 78.] (f) The sixth (genitive or possessive case), which adds eeo.w (§§ 22, 185) or @ew to the stem. [Less. 79. ({g) The seventh (or locative), which adds @& or @. JH to the stem. [Less. 80.] (4) The eighth (or vocative), which (1) adds @ to the stem ; or (2) lengthens its last syllable; or (3) omits the final consonant, and lengthens the remaining vowel. Paradigm. SINGULAR, CASE (1) welser, a man. (2) weols%er, a man (+90). (3) wer sene, by a man (+e). wef s@en®, together with a man ( + 9). (4) wefisens@, toa man (+246). , wellsandsrs, for aman (+2é@+ gs). (5) wahzehle, wehsehd gig, vefpefetlcrm, from a mai (4 Q& or A+ Doew (lit. being from], or Mes + Berg [ot+e= oF; lit. standing from)). (6) wesgan_w or worflserfier, of a man, belonginy to 4 man (+eeLw or Bar), (7) weohigatl s2%, {with a man (+O sRS or De), at wefisefis, J) aman, ina man. (8) werfsGer, O man! (+0). ‘Norzs.—1. The Tamil noun has really but one declension. ON igus of the cases are the same for all nouns; and are the same in the il i lar. . Plgalihe oly digeuy in declining nouns which differ from the above paradigm is 1 These are adverbial participles, § 77.32 LESSON 6 in ascertaining the modifications, thiefly enphonic, which the nominative feme rectus) wadergoes in order to prepare it for the reception of the inflexional particles, The stem, oF inflexiona) base (carus oblequus}, being ascertained, there ig no difficalty. 4 For this inflexional base, where it differs from the Dom., Ste § 16. §- This is often used for the genitive or 6th case. (§ 248.) . Tt is generally the inflexional base that is used when a noun is made the first member of a compound. (§ 131.) 7- It is not the etymological root in all cases, 8. It is not quite identical with the crude form in Sanskrit. 9. In nouns in a the 8 is sof radical, # and (« or) 4 (which are often inter- changeable in Tamil and its kindred dialects) are used euphonically as terminations of nouns, to. This final » gives way to the stronger g@ before the vowel of a suffix (and in poetry sometimes before the consonant). Before a consonant the nasal is generally retained, but, of course, assumes the forms 8, &, &, before 4, 4, and 4.] § 28. Qi is very often inserted between the inflexional base of the noun and the termination of the case. This is evidently for the sake of euphony. [yer is sometimes used for Oar, in poetry, G. 65 and 108.) § 28. @ may be added to most of the ‘case-terminations, Sometimes this is emphavic; but, for the most part, merely éuphonic. . Exercise 5. § 24. lusgpee. (§ 18.2.) ? sadéers. 3 semréaapentui wmbd. ‘ aiggssof_ Ro. S aitésaCen®. ° orga saeg. (818. ¢) ter Suu! (§ 18.6.) * edvevcoueir Strid wip ssn. 9 #atip Ger (§ 23) Csg. ue silgGe Codfng. U Qridicuser wren. Cole Byer, Meow ug! @ Oiiu masGuer S04G aésrair. “ Been int enikige uigos Neng. *He came with the child (Tam. ‘with the child he came.’ ALWAYS INVERT THE ORDER.) *He called the dog from the jungle. *The herdsman will feed the cow in the country. # By the physician’s son. * From the accountant’s little child. ¢* He called me with the mother. 71 saw him in the house. * The physician perished in the country. *Do this for the little daughter. From the river, fn heaven and earth, 2 By the child. A complete view of the noun-inflexions is given in the table of synopsis of nouns, LESSON 6, § 8. Very useful words formed with 8, [G. 5,6] CA By the aid of the followin; words, attending to § 6, a vast of usefal semenctt of two words may be formed: thus, gow eGo wher talaeDEMONSTRATIVES AND INTERROGATIVES 33 PRACTISE THESE WELL WITH A TEACHER. a (6) sac, she, that woman. Qaer, hg, this man. Qeer, she, this woman. caer, who, what man? sect, who, which woman? (c) ap, that thing. | {d) 2Ga, there (illic). (a) sever, he, that man. Os, this thing. @a@s, here [vulg. Pee]. ag, which thing ? oaGs, where? (ce) Lyte, so, in. that why. (f) 84, that, those [demon- Quug, thus, in this way. strative adjective]. ating, how, in what way? Dis, this, these. ong, which? (g) 29i@uagpss (comatonly ws | (4) wyareSO, that house. Gung or ssGun), then. Da, this house. @Gurges (com. QsCungr aaed®, which house? or @uCur), now. et Quint (com. n@ung or auGur), when ? : (i) sgsteor, so many (§ 212), UY) wedaerey, so much (§ 115). @ssrer, this many. Qeewera, thus muck. easter, how many? adaera, ow much? fer means number or guan- Here & is inserted euphoni- tity, and is not used alone. cally and doubled (p. 21). (a, 4, c) e is the masculine termination, « the feminine, and the neuter. Those ending in «@ and er are declined like wetiger, Those in gy elide the final e. (a-) Initial 9, @, @ are used respectively to noint out things distant, things near, and to ask a guestion. Compare the English <4AZ, thls, WHat. [e. is used, in poetry only, to point out things in the middle or dchind. G. 5.) (#) Those three letters may be prefixed to any noun, in which case the initial letter of the noun is generally doubled (p. 20). Nore.—Adverbs of place and manner aze also formed in old Tamil by prefixing », @ ©, = to -ow, -£@, -teerd, Bc. Thus seat, you, abacrt, 1» DEe, Reaerd, oben, mbecrd, So sew, ‘place’; gy, ‘manner’; and a multitade of similar words are usod. séecte (nasal inserted), there’; «¢erg, ‘in what way?’ ‘how ?? Exercise 6. §:26. } ear sainser? %etOurgpg samc? taaGs carter? ‘etug[é] sarah? § @oQueg9 uswa Guid 1 Often pronounced by the common people tug or give. 2 Ques = ered = fine. Tore D34 LESSON 7 érer, SemGs semésgmeu sri? ‘Has wells awCs? Sotup smier. wifssrer ? %Cufw ue QaGs Coding. Paar Qsriine? Veasfugmeiwu yg SO gs? ™ Rex ef] euuer g¢8[5] youssseng[cs] upasmor, 8 @iCur Qeu. M gQsaCs? VegsterSO? © giGs adecra Wem? sie atssc? (QT An idiom, and= What have you come for? What do you want? How did he make it? *Where [is] the merchant's son? ®Come now. ‘He saw her then. ®That [is] his house. * He did so. "Thus he perished with his son. *When will he learn? °He will leam now. %The good shepherd will feed the sheep now. ™ Which is his new house? 1 Where is it? 8 Who is he? ™Who is she? % Which is that? LESSON 7. IMPERATIVE MOOD. [G. 84.] $37. Vocabulary. aun, come. Gun, go. Bxrgy, stand, stop, remain (neut.). Qsncix@an (pronounced always | Asse, stop, bring to a stand Qsramun), bring (=having (active). taken come). Gacr, hear, ask, obey. Qsneir®Gun, take arugy (=hav-| Gercigy, say, tell. ing taken go). Qen®, give. a, lift up. &t, give, bestow. (2), The root, or crude theme of the verb, is the second person singular imperative: Qs0@, give! Gum, go! (6) By adding 2.15 (or 12), this becomes the honor tft, or polite imperative, thus: «9., Gum, Aévgyd, Csepd, Qeadguo, QsrOb, Basen, angse, come (irregular, from root a), sq (irregular, from root gm), give. (c) By adding ss to the above, or amacr (or macr) to the root, we obtain the plural, which is often used as a still higher honorific, thus: Guraacr, go ye. a@eascr, lift ye. eangmeer, come ye. Csendiacr, hear ye. Osseguesar, say ye. QsnQuacr, sive ye. srgeser, bestow ye. Exercise 7. § 28. }yeGs Cur, 2960s an Aai@s Cute@apex ? ‘Raer(G] suuer obs Yysusssong upéi@pd? Ssamag Qerig. * Serereou ad, TyiCs dag. %*Scp@nx ug.PLURALS 35 wn. Mgs5. Mpyissgeu GurgsG [wsgreg]s Osa @aecr. [The Tamil wser is more homely than the Sanskrit Gurser.] " Csaee aaGe ? 1Come to the house (=come home). *When did he do [it]? ° Where fis] the great ox? ‘Go to the river. ° Lift it from the mud. * Bring the little child here. ‘Take the physigian’s cow there. *Whom did that man call? (Tam. ‘ that man whom he called.’) * This (@aer) is the shepherd’s son. 10That (seer) is the great physician's son. LESSON 8. THE PLURAL NUMBER. [G. 69.] § 29. (a) The plural of nouns is generally formed by adding se to the singular ; thus, &@, house, SOser, houses. GD [+4 is strictly the plurelizing particle of the neater, or rather of the Low-caste.) (6) Masculine nouns ending in & mostly change e into #. They also very generally, but improperly, add ser also; thus, weflsex, a man, plural wesflsiser, or sometimes simply and more correctly wefsi. . {c) The cases of the plural are formed by adding the same terminations as in the singular, thus (p. 32) :— SOser houses. eS @s%ar Aouses (after a transitive verb), S Osan by (means of) houses. ef QsGarn@ (together) with houses. SOsen ee to houses. SOsegéans, for houses. SOscha SOschlgep } Srom houses. SOschaflersr SOsafl ar S Oech greorw } of houses. SOscficr - , SOecA_ she i with, at, unto,.or in houses. SOsCor O houses? (GB Observe here the difference between the Tamil un one side, and the Sanskrit and Classical languages oa the other. [The plural endings are a, ¢, m=, 4, mf (§ 151), & of yetee, ab, il, ow OF gman (g into we). erat, /, siga of the plurel.] ba ayant, he, makes or makes ert: here & is the36 LESSON 9 (2) Sometimes the ¢ is doubled ; thus vseser, () Final & is always changed into & before ¢; thus, w7d+ eer=womee, See p. 22. Exercise 8. § 80. ladgustr o@. *uahlsGr! Csesaaer. FwatlsGer! Ge. ‘euwerse54gs @anO, [Here o remains.] m8 SesPuiseies SOsr. Sariatrdnig. "wis wisssqege Gerigy. * patliuehg@d wiser. ° grCur! @és[ih] ertors2or 2 ° gagew wrOseég. "Qatsejew SDscfd. 4 sstuGer! angmeer. ° *Go with the merchants to the house. ?The accountant's good houses. The new physician’s old trees. 4 He is feeding the big bullocks in the jungles. ®He saw those cows with the shepherd. * He learnt thus in the book. ? They are merchants. * Where [are] the merchants? ® Where are those (persons) ? Tamil grammarians do n e singular and plural at all. seme ee ‘and udrewe (a mangiata nee) ane used to ee the ius. This arrangement will appear at first sight rather complex. [G. 52, 53.] Nouns are divided into two CASTES (Stoo = genus): 1. autPres (aus, high + Pier, class) = PERSONAL nouns. Ii, syhieer (6, 20+ Mow, class; for the transm, see Tntrod., p. 22) = IMPERSONAL ‘Roans. Personal notins are the names of rational beings. ‘Impersonal nouns are all others, ‘There is a farther division into five ure (= species), ‘These are /(I.) Reta [x = species}, This includes the: eB) Ss eae Gis ctonahe 1, {(L) Guetrure [= fersale-species}, Singular feminine { These belong of rationals. to aut tee, CIL) veture (= many-persons-species). Plural epicene y rationals, CIV.) gerper uw [= of-one-this cies]. gdrpse m= gad, a cont ‘orm. Sie masculine, | These belong m feminine or neuter of irrational to adhe, (V.) uevetae urd (= of-many-things-species|. Plural masculine of irrationals, ine, feminine or neuter LESSON 9, THE PRESENT TENSE OF THE VERB. [G. 83.] §81 (a) We have seen (Lesson 3) that there are three parts in any tense-form ; viz. the rood, the middle particle denoting time, and the personal termination. The following is‘a full list of the ordincry personal terminations :—PRESENT TENSE 37 1 | Mase. and fem. aor . | 5ib. 2 | Mase. and fem. gu . | wi, riser. Mase. ger F 3 i ies 3{ Fem ger. 6, |e, Ghee: Neuter 5 . —. | [9 (wer), seldom used.] DP [These are fragmentary and modified forms of the personal and demonstrative pronouns.) (2) The third person neuter plural is seldom used, the singular being substituted for it, as in Greek. (c) The third masculine plural in si is used as a polite form when speaking of an equal or superior. gfser is the higher honorific. (¢@) The second plural in ## is used When we should say ‘you’ in English, to a single person. #éser is the higher honorific. (€) Almost every plural form, both of verbs and pronouns, may be used honorifically for the singular. Thus sjavi, spent scr, plurals of syaver (§§ 25, 29) are used for //e when speaking of an equal or superior. (/) For gw of the second singular g is used in vulgar talx, and in some poetic forms. § 32. Vocabulary. (@) Verb-roots which insert | (6) Verb-roots which insert the the middle particle @p | - middle particle @g with simply: [WEAK] 4 prefixed (or 48p). Ost, do. [sTRONG] @G, come. au, walk, Gun, go. eng, sc. Qeneigs, say. Caw, rub, Gun, put. vo wipe. et, }, write. oe, drink. ge en ®, rcad aloud. nisi. create, form. DE: be, sit, § 83. [e may be cuphonically inscrted between the @ and the »; thus, Bary anc aBey, but tbis.is rather pedantic. In high Tamil gS" is also (bat very rarely) used as the temporal particle of the present. G, Sor)