THE UNIQUENESS OF TAMIL -#1
(This article needs to be read slowly and carefully. To get full benefit, reread it.)
Tamil is a very ancient language with several uniquenesses.
Here is a synopsis on the matter.
First something about Tamil.
Tamil is one of the oldest living languages in the world.
Its literature is very ancient.
Tamils have been very conscious about their language for some unknown reason. Because nowhere in the world, is any other race is so very sensitive about its own language.
Tamil is very special language.
The structure of Tamil is such that, word formation, versification, sentence structure, etc are unequalled.
One example, there is something known as 'palindrome'. A palindrome is a sentence which can be read backwards. 'Radar' is a palindrome. 'Able was I, ere I saw Elba' is another.
In Tamil, Thiru GnanaSambandhar has composed a whole hymn of 11 verses in palindrome. Each verse has two lines. This hymn is known as the 'Maalai MaaRRu Padhikam'. And all this without departing from the strict grammatical rules of Tamil poesy.
There is another type called 'nirOttagam'. In this composition, you use the letters which do not let the lips touch each other or let the lips to become tubelike. Thus you cannot use the letters 'm', 'p', 'o', 'u' 'v' 'au'. It the case of vowels, you cannot use their long form either, such as 'uu' 'oo'.
In another form called 'andhaadhi' the last word of the previous verse should be used to start the next verse. You have to compose 100 verses like that. It would be like a garland or chain. Abhiraami Andhaadhi is a famous one.
There is another peculiar style, where the same line is repeated. But each line would give a different meaning. This type of verse has four lines. In each of the lines, the same letters or words are repeated.
Let me give you a very simple example - take this phrase 'paNiyaaram thOsai'. These two are palakaarams that you eat. When combined, they become 'paNiyaarandhOsai'.
This can be split like this:
'paNi aaram thO saila...',
'paNi, aar, andhu, Osai...'
'paNiyaarandhOsai...'
'paNiyaar andho saivar..'.
This is known as 'yamakam'.
There is one class which is known as 'silEdai'. The same verse can be attributed to two or three different objects. The poet KaaLamEgam was very adept at this.
Take this verse:
Odum irukkum uLvaay veLuththirukkum
naadum kulai thanukkE naaNaadhE.
This can mean either a coconut or a dog.
Coconut has a hard shell - Odum irukkum
uLvaay veLuththu irukkum - when it is broken, the inside is white.
naadum kulai thanukku naaNaadhE - the much-demanded and liked coconut is available in bunches(kulai). And because of th weight of the coconut, the tree does not bend.
The dog:
Odum - sometimes it runs
irukkum - or sometimes it sits still
uLvaay veLuththirukkum - the lips of the dog are black; but the inside of the mouth is lighter in
colour.
naadum - it attaches itself to humans
kulai thanukku naaNaadhE - it is not ashamed of barking(kulai)
The grammatical rules governing the composition of poetry give a computation for 14,700 different word combinations.
There are many other such linguistic wizardry. So it is no jingoism or exaggeration when we say that. You have to know the literature to understand it.
Its not only mere words wizardry. The words are impregnated with deep meanings. These people have touched almost every prevalent subject. The truths and philosophies of life, down-to-the-earth type of realistic practical things..... everything has been treated.
The number of literary pieces that are still around now, are countless.
Whatever is available is just a minute fraction of what was produced earlier.
Much has been lost. Very little is remaining.
But that 'very little' amounts to hundreds of thousands.
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