Are Tamil and Malayalam are separated Sisters??

[gaddeswarup]

Aravindhan wrote:
" Telugu and Tamil separated over 2500 years ago so obviously they have moved apart, but it is fairly clear that they have common roots."

Strangely I met several Telugus who think that Telugu is derived from Samskrit. Here is an URL to a recent book on Dravidian languages and some quote about it:
http://www.cambridge.org/uk/catalogu...sbn=0521771110
The Dravidian Languages
Series: Cambridge Language Surveys

Bhadriraju Krishnamurti
University of Hyderabad, India


The Dravidian languages are spoken by over 200 million people in South Asia and in Diaspora communities around the world, and constitute the world’s fifth largest language family. It consists of about 26 languages in total including Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and Telugu, as well as over 20 non-literary languages. In this book, Bhadriraju Krishnamurti, one of the most eminent Dravidianists of our time, provides a comprehensive study of the phonological and grammatical structure of the whole Dravidian family from different aspects. He describes its history and writing systems, discusses its structure and typology, and considers its lexicon. Distant and more recent contacts between Dravidian and other language groups are also discussed. With its comprehensive coverage this book will be welcomed by all students of Dravidian languages and will be of interest to linguists in various branches of the discipline as well as Indologists.

• The Dravidian language family covers several widely spoken South Asian languages (including Tamil); in all there are some 200 million speakers of these languages

• The author, one of the most eminent scholars in this field, has held visiting appointments in the US, Australia and Japan, and is a member of the Indian National Academy of Letters

• The book will be of interest to linguists in various branches of the discipline, and also to Indologists

Contents
1. Introduction; 2. Phonology: descriptive; 3. The writing systems of the literary languages; 4. Phonology: historical and comparative; 5. Word formation: roots, stems, formative and derivational suffixes; 6. Nouns; 7. The verb; 8. Adjectives, adverbs and clitics; 9. Syntax; 10. Lexicon; 11. Conclusions.

Review
' … handled with great lucidity … DL is of interest to a wide range of scholars and students of language … Because of the thorough and meticulous nature of the analysis, it is an important contribution to the theory of comparative reconstruction … a timely work of great importance. The merits of the book can perhaps best be summarized by stating that, after almost a century and a half, Caldwell's great work has at last been superseded.'

In addition, there is a languages institute in Bangalore:
http://www.languageinindia.com/index.html
which regularly publishes articles on Indian languages.
Swarup
...................

[solomon]

Friends,

I saw a simple and interesting Discussion and I just give you some thing for Thought.

Earliest of Malayalam Writing is from 8th/9th Century Copper Plate- Tamara Sasanam Given by Chera King to Peal Merchants, and as per Malayalam Linguistic Researchers Malayalam was spoken from Early 2nd Century CE onwards.

Similarly other Telugu and Kannada- as per the Linguistic Researchers of respective Languages- Telugu speaking was in Vouge from 1000BCE and Kannada from 500BCE.

Sangam Literature (300BCE-100CE) Clearly tells presence of Telugu as Vadugu then, even TholKappiyam Payiram (150-200BCE) tells border to Tamil Speaking as ThiruVengadam - or Tiruppathi.

Ancient Stone Inscription found in Tamilnadu had words of all these languages as most of them or in Collquial Tamil.

Coming To Malayalam Nadu or Kerala - The SeaCoastal Kerala- such as Kochi-Kollam-Alapuzha- Kodungallore etrc., have been researched fully by Indian Archealogical Dept and found that, The Human Occupation in this Lands started only later than 700CE and probably were Below Sea till then.
MosesMohammed Solomon

[ramraghav]

Please check you geography Solomon, Kerala has always been a part of the continental Indian plate.

[solomon]

Dear Ramraghav,

I thank you for your suggestion, and I am quoting from Authentic research opinions of K.V.Raman, and As we saw Druring Recent Sunami- Water Backed out of Landmass and Submerged some other Regions, Like Tiruchendur and Mahabalipuram water went back to sea and Places like Karaikal, Velankanni suffered by Land coming into Landmass.

Now after Sunami- New Temples of 8th Cen, submerged in Sea of Pallavas, have come out , Probably Water Pulled out in the Western Coast- and came to Eastern Coast submerging Mahabalipuram.

Archealogists have with Great Enthusiasm tried Kodungallore and other blets and everywhere - VIRGIN SOIL found at 700BCE levels- i.e., Humankinds's first occupation starts then- you find Bangles etc., unperishable parts.

I Don't mean Entire Kerala, but Entire Coastal Belt.

For example the Musiris mentioned In Sangam Lit. is still not identified, mostly may be Mangalore, So Chera Nadu of ANCIEnt Tamils were Coimbatore,Salem, Darmapuri, Palakkad, and Near Kumari zones and Hilly Western Ghats.

This Landmass being recovered is called as Parasuramar doing it in Puranas.

MosesMohammedSolomon

[Malayalathaan]

There is without a doubt, that Malayalam is the daughter of Tamil, there are so many words that we use in Malayalam that are exactly the same in Tamil, and not only that, some of those words not used in Tamil at all that are used in Malayalam, came from classical Tamil! Words like "kaLi" (which means play), "patti" (old Tamil world for dog), "para" (derived from "parai", as in "parai melam" which means to tell), etc.

A malayalee has no problem understanding Tamil, all the Malayalee actors/actresses can speak fluent Tamil like a true Tamilian, you cannot say the same with fellow South Indians from other states, still you have to translate for them. If you watch all the Malayalam movies, esp. lately, they are filmed in the Kerala/TN border, and half of the movie is in Tamil, with no subtitles.[/u]

[skanthan]

Malayalathaan,

Oh?? I thought that also many Telugu people spoke Tamil as their second language! Also, from what I understand, the Telugu spoken in area close to Tamil Nadu, ie: Tirupati and Nellore is heavily mixed with words from Tamil. Very different from the common everyday colloquial Telugu which is spoken and more so different from the formal, Sanskritzed Telugu.

[Malayalathaan]

Skanthavel,

If that is the case, go to Palakkad in Kerala. The Malayalam spoken in Palakkad is heavily mixed with Tamil as well.
Same thing goes from Thiruvananthapuram district and southward; this applies to all border areas with Tamil Nadu.
There is a Malayalam movie called "Rajamanickam", which was the biggest hit in Kerala, and Mammooty spoke Thiruvananthapuram dialect.
Another thing, Tirupati/Tirumala areas are ancient Tamil territories, so was Palakkad, there are many Thamizhans living in Palakkad, let alone Kerala. The closeness of Kerala to Tamil Nadu is that Kerala used to be a Tamil speaking area, comprised of Cherans and Pandyans.
If you put a list of words in Telugu, Tamil, and Malayalam, the majority of similarities are between Malayalam and Tamil.

[mahadevan]

Solomon wrote : Sangam Literature (300BCE-100CE) Clearly tells presence of Telugu as Vadugu then, even TholKappiyam Payiram (150-200BCE) tells border to Tamil Speaking as ThiruVengadam - or Tiruppathi.

Solomon you are just exposing just your telugu brahmin identity, Why do you learn Tamil lit ? just to find fault with it ? however much you cook facts you cannot disprove the antiquity and greatness of Tamil !

[Braandan]

Skanthavel,

If that is the case, go to Palakkad in Kerala. The Malayalam spoken in Palakkad is heavily mixed with Tamil as well.
Same thing goes from Thiruvananthapuram district and southward; this applies to all border areas with Tamil Nadu.
There is a Malayalam movie called "Rajamanickam", which was the biggest hit in Kerala, and Mammooty spoke Thiruvananthapuram dialect.
Another thing, Tirupati/Tirumala areas are ancient Tamil territories, so was Palakkad, there are many Thamizhans living in Palakkad, let alone Kerala. The closeness of Kerala to Tamil Nadu is that Kerala used to be a Tamil speaking area, comprised of Cherans and Pandyans.
If you put a list of words in Telugu, Tamil, and Malayalam, the majority of similarities are between Malayalam and Tamil.

The Malayalam spoken by Mamooty in Rajamanikam is NOT Thiruvananthapuram dialect, as many think.. looks like you have never been to Thiruvananthapuram... that Malayalam is as spoken in border areas of Kerala with Kanyakumari.